Might of Lordaeron
by K2JC
Summary: The Black Dogs. A mercenary company that would rape and pillage anything they could get their hands on. Their numbers, unrivaled. There was no hope of stopping them. They will rule over all. Unfortunately, a certain Prince will not stand idly by while this injustice runs amok. The Black Dogs will learn to fear the Might of Lordaeron.
1. Might of Lordaeron Ch 1

"Hail, Prince Arthas."

Arthas got off his mount and turned to look at the speaker. A woman with neck length brown hair and bright blue eyes. She who wore light, steel armor underneath a blue surcoat with the symbol of Lordaeron on the front. She wore only one large pauldron on her left that was of Elvish design. A large blue cape was wrapped around the pauldron and her armor. Black, fingerless gloves that reached her just below her elbows. Matching gauntlets and vambraces. A piece of cloth was wrapped around her left arm, just above her elbow. In her hands was what looked like a Maul but instead one side was replaced by a wicked axe head of Orcish-make. The last thing Arthas noticed were the set of ears poking out of her hair and her height. Her ears were not as long as the High-Elves but still too long for a Human and she wasn't as tall as the High-Elves. She was at least as tall as Jaina.

"Hail, Paladin." He looked around him and saw two Elven Priests looking over the villagers "What's going on here?"

"These Priests are here to heal the ones affected by the plague, my Lord. I was tasked by the Order to escort them from Quel'thalas and guide them around Lordaeron." The Half-Elf snorted in amusement "High-Elven Priests. At least they didn't completely pulled out of the Alliance."

Arthas hummed in agreement as he watched the Priests speak to some villagers before looking at the Half-Elf "If I may ask, who are you?"

"Joan the Lightgazer, my Lord."

Arthas nodded and he was soon joined by Jaina Proudmoore and Captain Falric.

"Greetings, Paladin." Jaina greeted with a small bow of her head. Falric simply nodded his head. Joan smiled and bowed in returns before turning serious.

"There's a granary warehouse at the far end of the village. The priests and I believe that's where the source of the village's blight may have originated."

"We'll check it out. I assume you and the Priests will accompany us." The Prince replied.

"Yes, my Lord. We were simply waiting for Captain Valerius and his scouts to return."

"Is that them?"

The trio turned to where Captain Falric was pointing at. A short distance from them were four Footmen and a Captain with their shields raised, blocking strikes from the Skeleton soldiers. A few feet behind the Footmen was a Mortar Team, firing bombs at the Skeletons as the Footmen held their ground.

"That's Val, alright." She sighed out before raising her Battle Hammer "Couldn't go one minute without getting into trouble. Excuse me, my Lord. Lady Proudmoore."

She ran towards the soldiers and casted Devotion Aura around them, strengthening their defenses. She cast Holy Light on a Footman that was about to be overwhelmed by two Skeleton Warriors.

"Hold them back, men! For Lordaeron!" The Captain, Valerius, yelled, inspiring his men.

"For Lordaeron!"

Arthas decided to join the fight and rallied his soldiers.

"Rally to me!" He ordered as he mounted his horse. Jaina did the same but Falric didn't and joined his men in formation. Arthas turned to the Archmage "Can you use a spell to take pressure off those men?"

"I have something in mind. But you can't charge in until I'm done. Understand?"

"Do whatever you have to do."

Jaina nodded before facing the ongoing skirmish. She raised her staff in the sky and muttered the spell's incantation as her eyes slowly glowed. The sky darkened and waves of ice shards rained down on the army of Undead. Valerius told his men to hold steady as the Skeletons were riddled with frost shards. He looked over his shoulder just as Jaina finished the spell and Arthas, with his soldiers, charged.

"Make way!"

He and his Footmen broke formation and let the Prince on horseback pass. Arthas, Battle Hammer raised to strike, ran over a skeleton and brought his hammer down on another. Behind him, Falric and his Footmen had their shields raised and were in a wedge formation, slowly following after their Prince and cutting down any Undead Arthas hadn't crushed or ran over.

"Push forward!"

Valerius watched them fight before hearing Joan calling him out.

"Val, think fast!"

He turned to her voice and barely caught the weapon she threw at him. A single edged sword with intricate markings in Elvish engraved on the side. The blade was 2 feet in length, as was the handle. The pommel was a ring with two tassels tied to it. One was blue and the other gold. He looked at Joan and nodded his thanks.

"Don't leave it next time, fool."

She then turned to the battle and charged, casting Divine Shield on herself. Valerius watched her go before noticing that his men were looking at him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get over there and fight!"

The Footmen quickly scrambled to join the fray. Valerius watched them go before looking at his blade. He read the Elvish markings and sighed before looking at the sky.

"Women."

He shook his head and ran towards the fighting.

~Line Break~

"I'm sorry I can't stay and chat but... duty calls."

The Necromancer raised a group of Skeletons and Ghouls before fleeing. By the warehouse's entrance, a giant abomination roared. The group can say for certain that it has got to be one of the most ugliest thing they have seen and their life.

"The creature looks like it was sewn together from different corpses." Jaina observed with disgust before summoning a Water Elemental.

"Let's study it later after we kill it." Arthas replied as he raised his Battle Hammer and ordered the Footmen to raise their shields.

"I wholeheartedly agree, my Lord." Captain Valerius and Falric raised their shields and readied themselves to face the grotesque abomination.

"By your word, Prince Arthas." Joan stated as she prepared to cast Divine Shield on herself.

The abomination roared again before charging at the Lordaeron group. It was soon followed by Ghouls and Skeleton Warriors.

"Forward!"

Arthas led the charge, Captain Falric and Valerius at his side and the rest of the Footmen following after their Prince. Jaina stood back and sent Fireballs at the Ghouls while her Water Elemental attacked any of the Undead that got too close to her. The Priests by the Footmen, healing them if they looked like they were taking too much of a beating.

Falric saw the Abomination swing it's bloody meat cleaver at Arthas. The Prince blocked it but he didn't realize how strong the creature was and was staggered from the blow. The Abomination poised to strike again but Falric quickly jumped into action.

"Look out!" He ran towards Arthas, cape billowing, and raised his shield to defend the staggered Prince. The cleaver connected with the shield and sent Falric flying back. Arthas growled in anger as he saw his friend get thrown away by the creature and casted Holy Light on the thing. The Abomination roared in pain as the Holy Light shined on it's gruesome form. A Priest quickly went to Falric's side and healed him from any injuries he received from the blow.

"Thank you, Priest." He told the High-Elf before picking up his discarded shield and running back to the fold once more.

Joan crushed a Ghoul with her hammer before swinging it to the side and letting the Axe part of her weapon cut a second Ghoul in half. Unfortunately, it did not deter the Undead as the upper half of it's body began to crawl towards her. She raised her boot and crushed the Ghoul's head. She heard a battle cry behind her and turned around to see Valerius bash his shield on a Ghoul that was about to strike her from the back. The momentum pushed the Undead to the ground and Valerius pinned it down with his shield before stabbing it repeatedly in the head. When the Ghoul stopped moving, he got up and crushed it's head with his boot. He turned to the Half-Elf and gave her a smug smirk.

"Score one for me. I'm up one."

She glared at him in mild annoyance while being thankful at the same time before seeing a Skeleton Warrior about to cut the unsuspecting Captain down. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away before kicking the skeleton down. She raised her Battle Hammer high and brought it down the skeleton's chest cavity, destroying it. She turned back to the Captain and gave him a smug smirk of her own.

"Now we're even again." She then ran to Arthas' side as he swung Light's Vengeance at the Abomination's knee. Seeing the creature fall to one knee, she swung and struck the Abomination's other knee and forced it to kneel. Before it could regain it's bearings, the Water Elemental raised it's watery fists and slammed it down the creature's head. Jaina muttered the incantation of a Fireball spell and struck the Abomination right in the beast's exposed belly. The creature finally had enough and fell on it's back. The group cautiously moved towards it. Jaina wanted to study it and the others, specifically Arthas, wanted to keep the Archmage safe in case the beast still had a little bit of 'Life' left. Valerius, on the other hand, had other ideas.

He walked up beside the Abomination's head and grabbed the Hand Cannon on his belt and fired a shot at the creature's head, leaving a bloody mess. He turned to his companions questioning gaze.

"We can't take any chances, my Lord. Besides, I thought I saw it twitch."

Arthas shook his head before looking at the granary warehouse. Everything around it, even the ground, looked like it was dead or dying. Turning to the Mortar Team, he ordered "Destroy that warehouse, now."

"We'll do it in a jiffy, milord."

"Aye, we will."

Arthas turned away and let the dwarves handle the warehouse before turning to Jaina "What was that? And who was that wizard dressed in black?"

"I believe that robed man is a necromancer. Obviously, he and his lackeys are behind this plague." The blonde Archmage replied. This was troubling. Necromancy was a forbidden magic. Different than the Resurrection the Paladins use. Troubling indeed.

"Well, it's a good bet we'll find him, and the answers we're looking for, in Andorhal."

"Prince Arthas."

The two turned to the speaker and saw Joan. She bowed her head before asking "I would like to accompany you in this mission of yours, my Lord. This plague is worse than what the Order thought. I will send them a message as soon as I get the time. I'll inform them that I shall join your expedition, if you would let me, my Lord."

"I'll join as welI, Prince Arthas." Valerius, who had taken his helmet off to reveal a head of messy, brown hair tied to a tail. Grey eyes and stubble beard. He bowed his head and said "My sword and shield are yours to command, my Lord."

"I will be honored to have you both by my side."

~The next day on the outskirts of Andorhal~

"Job's done, milord." A Worker stated before Arthas dismissed him.

They neared Andorhal but on the way, they encountered cultists doing something to a Mine. When they drove them off, Arthas ordered a base camp to be built. Not wanting to go in without backup. The Barracks was built and so was the Keep. Falric and Valerius were overseeing troop formations and training. Joan was looking over the construction of the Altar of Kings while Jaina and the Priests were discussing what they know about the Plague. He had already sent scouts to see what's the condition of the town and see if there could be cultists or Undead lurking about. He looked around the base and saw the Lumber Mill was almost done, as was the Blacksmith. Some towers were set up on the borders of their base to keep an eye out for anything.

"Milord." A Footman saluted before relaying his message "The scouts found an Undead base in the north. They said the Undead are amassing to assault our base. Some of the Workers spotted a lone red orc south from the base, my liege. They believe it was a Blademaster."

"Thank you, Sergeant. Tell the men to ready the defenses. I want Footmen on the front and the Riflemen at the back. Those rifles will pick the Undead off while the Footmen hold them back." Arthas ordered before dismissing the Sergeant. He brought his hands on the table as he looked at the map of the area. Arthas had a bad feeling about this. What if they were too late? What if the Undead had already attacked Andorhal and turned the citizens into Ghouls?

His thoughts were interrupted when the earth shook violently. The sky darkened and a purple beam of light shined down on the base.

"Arthas!"

Jaina ran towards the Prince but the earthquake threw off her footing and would've fallen face first into the ground if Arthas hadn't managed to catch her. He steadied her before looking at the sky. If the dark sky, purple beam and earthquake wasn't enough. Heavy winds began to blow around them, blowing some of the Workers away.

"Jaina, what is going on!?"

"I-I don't know but this beam... It feels like... like... " Her eyes widened and she looked at Arthas in realization "A Teleportation Spell."

The Prince's eyes widened and he turned to the base "EVERYBODY, HANG ON!"

Falric and Valerius, along with the rest of the soldiers, took shelter in the Barracks. Joan held on to the unfinished Altar of Kings, screaming for Arthas and Jaina to take cover. Everyone else ran to whatever form of shelter they could find. Arthas wrapped his arms around Jaina, eliciting a surprised yelp from the Archmage, and ran towards the Keep. Two Footmen were holding the door open and ushering them inside.

"Quickly, milord!"

Arthas threw Jaina inside and jumped in after just as a weapons crate smashed into the spot where they were standing. The Footmen closed the wooden doors and the Prince sighed in relief only to receive a slap on the back of the head and a glare from the Archmage.

"What was that for?"

"That was for grabbing me and throwing me around like a sac of potatoes!"

The Archmage pouted and crossed her arms. Before Arthas could retort, the whole base was teleported away. Leaving nothing but tree stumps and a very large scorch mark on the ground.

~Line Break~

Arthas opened his eyes and shot up into a sitting position. He looked around and saw the two Footmen slumped by a pillar. He heard a soft voice murmur and found Jaina lying on the ground next to him. Her eyes slowly opened before zeroing on Arthas.

"Arthas? W-What happened?"

The Prince stood up and held out his hand at Jaina. The Archmage shook herself awake before taking the offered hand.

"The Teleportation Spell, or at least, something similar to it. Come on, let's see what happened outside."

The two left the Keep just as the two Footmen gathered their bearings and followed after their Prince. Once outside, Arthas and Jaina stared at their base. Everything was as it were. Aside from the weapons and supplies that were scattered around, everything and everyone was accounted for. Falric and Valerius quickly ran to their side.

"My Lord. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Falric. But what about the rest of the base? Has anyone been injured?"

"No sir."

"It seems you were right, Jaina." Arthas commented "That was similar to Teleportation Spell."

"Yeah but... I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing." She replied as she looked around her. Everyone was confused on what happened but returned to what they were doing. The Workers went back to building while the soldiers kept to the Barracks "Wait... Where are our mounts?"

"They ran off, Lady Proudmoore. Right before the winds blew, the horses ran off." Valerius replied as he shook his head.

"Damn." Arthas cursed before turning to the Captains "I want scouting parties spread out in the area and find out where we are. Return if you find any form of civilization."

"Yes, my Lord." The two Captains saluted before leaving. Arthas turned back to look at the Jaina "See if you can find out who casted the spell and brought us here."

"Of course." Jaina bowed her head before leaving, intent on finding Joan and asking for help in figuring out where the source of the Teleportation Spell came from.

~Line Break~

Two hours later, the scouting parties returned. Falric and Valerius quickly reported to Arthas.

"We found a road that led to a city, my Lord." Falric stated "We didn't get too close in case they spotted us. We weren't sure on how to approach them and wanted to report to you first, Prince Arthas."

"Good work, men. Where is this city, if I may ask?"

"Just north of here, sir." Valerius replied "It won't take long, even on foot, my Liege."

"Alright. Captain Falric." The Captain straightened up "You will accompany Lady Proudmoore and I in to this city. Maybe we can find out where we are from there. Bring two groups of Footmen and one group of Riflemen with you. We'll leave within the hour. Captain Valerius, stay here and watch over the base until we get back. Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord."

The Captains saluted before leaving. Arthas followed after before asking around for Jaina. A Worker pointed towards the Arcane Sanctum, which was under construction. Arthas thanked the Worker before heading towards Jaina. Halfway there, he spotted her talking to some of the Priests and Paladin Lightgazer.

"Jaina."

The Archmage turned around and asked "Yes, Arthas?"

"The scouting party returned and told me of a city to the North. Will you accompany me? I need someone who is adept in the Arcane to help them understand our situation better. Also." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly "Loathe as I am to admit, you're more adept in diplomacy than me. Uther did always I was more inclined to fight first, ask questions later."

Jaina smirked and brought a hand on her hip "On that, we can agree. When do we leave?"

"Within the hour. I suggest you pack light. We'll be walking there."

Jaina nodded before turning back to the Half-Elf and Priests. Arthas stayed for a bit before leaving, heading to his tent to pack the necessities. On the way, he overheard Valerius talking to the scouting party.

"Are you sure? Were they really Orcs?"

'Orcs. Here?'

"They could be Orcs but from what we've seen. They're more savage than the ones we've fought."

"Stupid too." Another Footman added "Didn't even know how to hold a sword right."

"Did you have any trouble?"

"A bit, Captain. But they fell like any other Grunt. We managed, sir. But the big ones were a problem. They were as big as an Ogre. We didn't wanna risk it and retreated."

Valerius crossed his arms and hummed in thought "This is troubling. The Prince must be notified immediately."

"No need, Captain." Arthas spoke up as he approached them "I heard it all."

"My Lord/Milord!" The soldiers exclaimed before they bowed their heads.

"Stand down, men. Captain, my orders still stand. You are to stay here and guard the base. If we are having trouble with them, we'll send a runner to request reinforcements."

"As you wish, my Lord." The Captain nodded before being dismissed.

'Beasts similar to Orcs but more savage. This is troubling. Perhaps we need more than two groups of Footmen.' The Prince thought before going off to find Falric and see what he has to say.

~Line Break~

Nearly an hour later did Arthas and his group leave the base. The Prince had spoken to Falric and the Captain wanted to add another group of Riflemen with them and a Priest for each group. The first group would be led by Arthas while the other would be led by Falric. Jaina would stay at Arthas' side. Arthas ordered Joan to muster enough troops and make them battle-ready in case Arthas and company need reinforcements. They still had a Mount problem but since they weren't too far from the city, travel time wouldn't be an issue. Besides, Jaina can just teleport them back in the base if it comes to it.

"We're almost there, my Lord." Falric informed.

Arthas nodded in acknowledgement while Jaina narrowed her eyes as she saw something in the distance.

"Is that... smoke?"

Arthas turned to where she was looking at and saw smoke in the distance. Falric saw this and halted in his steps

"Oh no."

"Is that where the city is?"

"Yes, my Lord. I didn't expect it to be under siege. We must turn back."

"No!" Jaina exclaimed "We have to help those people."

"Jaina, we can't go fighting someone else's battle. Even I know that."

"That's not it, Arthas. If we help these people, they may be more inclined to help us in return."

Arthas contemplated her suggestion. Honestly, he didn't thought of that. Maybe Jaina has a point. He looked back at the smoke and made his decision.

"We'll help the city." Arthas stated. His voice resolute "Falric, send a runner and call for reinforcements."

"Finley, get back to base and get those reinforcements here. Make haste!"

"Sir!"

Arthas watched the lone Footman retreat before turning to the others "Alright, everyone. Ready your weapons. Let's go save a city. Sergeant, raise the banner."

"Aye, milord."

~Line Break~

Alicia Arcturus couldn't believe in what was happening. First, she was given a message telling the Black Dogs took over Dark Castle and set their sights on conquering Eostia and their plans for the women of the land. Then, a bomb exploded in the middle of the city, followed by an attack by the Black Dogs and monsters.

Gritting her teeth in anger as her city burned and her people butchered. This cannot go on any longer!

"My people... please stand fast."

"Lady Alicia!"

She turned around as two of her knights ran to her side. The news they gave her made the Princess Knight flinch back in shock.

"What!? You mean none of them escaped capture?"

She quickly ran to the side of the wall and saw the monsters holding the nuns hostage. Some even had their clothes ripped off. The Imps jumped on the bound nuns, eager to defile them. A large Imp began yelling at the Princess Knight.

"You're the princess of this land, aren't you? Well, you got the best seat in the house for thi-"

The little demon was cut off as a sound, similar to a thunder, rang throughout the yard, followed by a large piece of the demon's torso was blown off. More thunder rang and the ogres behind the captured nuns barely had a head left.

"Attack! Slay the demons!"

Knights in steel armor charged to the yard, bearing shields and colors unfamiliar to the Princess Knight. On the front of them was a tall, handsome and muscular blonde man, wielding a large Maul and wearing a blue cape. The imps got off the nuns and met the charge of the newcomers. The first one to reach the blonde man was quickly smashed into a bloody heap on the ground by the warrior's hammer. The rest were held back by the soldiers' shields before being pushed down and surrounded. The imps were encircled before run through by the knights' swords. Once all the imps were slain, the soldiers went to work in releasing the prisoners. The blonde went to one of the nuns, who was on her knees and crying.

~Line Break~

"It's alright. Your safe now."

Arthas knelt down and brought a hand on the girl's shoulder. Now he was sure he made the right choice of entering the city if this was what the invaders were doing. The girl wept, traumatized at what could've happened to her if Arthas and his company hadn't arrived. The Prince sighed before rising to his feet. He turned to the Sergeant beside him.

"Sergeant, escort these women to safety."

"But where, milord?"

Arthas looked up at the young blonde at the top of the wall. He heard the Imp yell out if she was the Princess of this land. If so, then where were the King and Queen? Where are their soldiers? Surely those women who wore that sorry excuse for armor were all the soldiers she had.

"To that young lady. Take four Footmen with you and escort them to her."

"Aye, milord." The Sergeant nodded before calling four Footmen to him and went to convince the nuns that they were to escort them to the princess. Arthas then turned to Falric.

"What can you tell me about these invaders?"

"From the ones we encountered at the entrance, it seems they are a mix of bandits, mercenaries and beasts. They kill the men and rape the women on spot. They are despicable, my Lord. I suggest we slay them all but leave a few for interrogation."

"I couldn't agree more, Captain." The Prince then turned to his soldiers "Soldiers of Lordaeron and the Alliance. You have seen what these monsters do. They kill, destroy and rape. These bandits and mercenaries are nothing more than dogs! I will not stand by and let these dogs run amok. They need to be put down!"

"Yeah!"

"We will be the ones to put them down! Slay these wretched beasts. For Lordaeron!"

"FOR LORDAERON!"

Arthas turned towards the center of the city, his soldiers behind him. Their blades and guns, eager to spill the blood of these wretched dogs.

~Line Break~

The Black Dogs and beasts screamed as frost shards fell from the heavens. Some tried to dodge but were impaled by the deadly shards nonetheless. The ogres were too big of a target to miss and the mercenaries didn't have any shields and minimal armor. One lucky mercenary managed to sneak up on Jaina and wrapped his arms around her and started to run his hand on her body. Unfortunately for him, Arthas was right behind him. Towering over the mercenary.

"Hands off, pal."

Seeing the shadow of the figure, the mercenary quickly dropped the Archmage only to be knocked out by a punch by said Archmage. Jaina sneered in disgust at the man before slamming the end of her staff on the man's crotch. The action caused the Prince to visibly cringe at the action.

"Aside from this guy, any problems?"

"No. But... I can't say the same for the women though. They've been too traumatized that they won't let anything male near them."

Arthas sighed. He can't believe he was thinking this. At least back in Azeroth, the Orcs were savages but had a sense of Honor. Well, some of them. The ones here were nothing but beasts with the sole thought to kill and rape.

"We've done what we can for them. We'll let the princess in charge deal with it. Have the reinforcements arrived yet?"

"Yes. They've arrived and are pushing the enemy here. Seems they brought an army with them."

"Where'd they get the men?"

Jaina shrugged.

"The Barracks was apparently full of Footmen and Riflemen. How did we miss them is beyond me."

"I'll take what I can get." Arthas watched the Black Dogs get cut down by his soldiers "So they plan to route them here. Very well. Riflemen!"

"Aye, milord!" The dwarves formed in front of their Prince. Awaiting orders.

"Reinforcements have arrived and are pushing these dogs towards us. The Footmen will create a barricade and you men will stay in the back and pick the dogs off one by one."

"Don't worry, milord. They won't get far. Right, lads!"

"Aye!"

Arthas smiled and nodded his head before ordering the Footmen to start building barricades from whatever they could find. Jaina informed him that the Black Dogs would be here in ten minutes. Enough time to set up the defenses.

As the barricades were getting set up, Arthas spotted the flag of the mercenaries. A red banner with a black dog and a sword in the center. He grabbed the banner and had Jaina set it ablaze before throwing it away. He picked up Lordaeron's standard and planted it firmly on the ground. These Black Dogs will know the might of Lordaeron and the wrath of the Alliance.

~Line Break~

Alicia walked down the road as the fleeing soldiers began making defenses on the road.

"Pardon me, milady."

A knight walked past her, carrying wood he had taken from a cart on his shoulders. The foreigners were making a barricade in the road. She saw some dwarves handling their 'Boomsticks' pouring black powder down the tube. On the front of the barricade, was the blonde warrior. Beside him was a mage, judging by the robe she wore. They were conversing before the blonde man held up the Black Dog's banner and had the mage set it ablaze before throwing it away. He picked up a different banner. A blue background with a stylized, golden L in the center. He raised the standard high before planting it firmly on the ground.

'So he is their leader.' She thought before tapping a knight in the shoulder.

The knight wore the same armor as the rest but his helmet had golden wings on the side. He also wore a blue cape and his sword was more intricate than the others.

"Yes?"

"What is going on here?"

"We are preparing a barricade, my Lady. Our forces beyond are pushing the dogs here. The barricade will hold them off while our Riflemen will take them out from afar. The dogs will not stand a chance."

"Tell me, sir Knight."

The Knight shook his head "I am no Knight, my Lady. I am Captain Falric. What is it you wish to ask?"

"Who is that?"

The Captain turned to where she was pointing at "That? That is Arthas Menethil. Son of King Terenas. Prince of Lordaeron."

"A prince? Lordaeron? I have not heard of such a place."

"I knew you wouldn't. To be honest, my Lady. We do not know where we are. All we know was that we were teleported from our land and into this one. We were supposed to enter the city to ask where we are but we saw the smoke and my Lord decided to help the city."

"That is very generous of him." Alicia replied "Tell him he has my thanks."

"No need, Princess."

Alicia turned to the voice as the Prince and the mage walked towards them. The two bowed their heads before the Prince asked "If I may ask, what is your name Princess..."

Alicia stood straight and held her head high as she introduced herself "My name is Alicia Arcturus. Princess Knight of Iris. Blessed by the Goddess Incarnate herself, Celestine Lucross. Governess of the city of Feoh.

"Well met, Princess Alicia. I guess Captain Falric has already introduced me in my stead."

"Of course, my Lord." The Captain replied with a nod of his head.

"Then allow me to introduce you to my companion. Lady Jaina Proudmoore."

"I can introduce myself, Arthas." The mage cut in with a playful tone. The corners of her eyes twitched upwards as she smiled at the Prince teasingly before turning to Alicia with a gentle smile.

"I am Lady Jaina Proudmoore. Daughter of Admiral Daelin Proudmoore of Kul' Tiras and proud Archmage of the Kirin Tor. A pleasure to meet you, Princess Alicia." The Archmage ended with a small bow.

"Thank you, Lady Proudmoore. As I said, you have my thanks for coming to our aid. How can we ever repay you?"

"We'll talk about that later." Arthas interrupted. His voice serious "The Black Dogs are coming."

He turned to the dwarves "Riflemen, prepare yourselves!"

"Alright, lads. You heard him. Time for target practice!"

The dwarves laughed as they went behind the barricade, boomsticks aimed ahead of the road. The knights formed a wall behind the dwarves. If the Black Dogs get too close, the dwarves would fall back while the knights met the Dogs in armed melee.

"Remember, men." Arthas began. His voice dripping with confidence "These dogs' lives are forfeit. Kill them all. We already have our prisoner. Leave none of them alive. For Lordaeron!"

"For Lordaeron!"

In the distance, Alicia could see the army of Black Dogs running towards them. She noticed that the large orcs were nowhere in sight and the mercenaries had fear in their eyes as they ran. As they neared, Captain Falric began to yell on the top of his lungs.

"VOLLEY FIRE!"

The Riflemen's weapons exploded and fired at the mercenaries. Chunks of their bodies were blasted off but the rest kept running forward. The dwarves pulled back and another set of dwarves replaced them before aiming at the Dogs.

"VOLLEY!"

The second volley took out more than the first and the dwarves fell back. The knights stepped forwards and formed a Shieldwall.

"ADVANCE!"

The knights slowly advanced upon the Black Dogs. The mercenaries care not and charged, even though they would be surrounded soon. The knights halt their advance and braced themselves as the Black Dogs slammed into their shields.

"HOLD STEADY! HOLD STEADY!"

The front line wouldn't break and from the distance, Alicia could see more of Lordaeron's soldier advancing behind the Black Dog's lines. In the center of the advancing forces was a brunette Elf, riding on top of a horse. In her right hand was a Maul Axe while her left held a spear with the flag of Lordaeron.

~Line Break~

"See them run, men. They are cowards!"

"YEAH!"

"Those men are defilers, lower than dirt bandits. Rapists! Justice must be served against these wretched mercenaries. I can't think of a better justice served than by a blade to the heart. Slay them all!"

"YEAH!"

Joan smiled as the Footmen were fired up. A great boost in morale will do them good. She cast Devotion Aura before turning to the Black Dogs and raising her Maul Axe, the Light shining down on her.

"For Lordaeron! For Prince Arthas!"

"FOR THE PRINCE!"

Joan charged with her mount. Lowering the spear on her left and let it run through the mercenary who heard their charge, impaling him in the chest. Her horse trampled the ones in front of her as she spearheaded the charge and ended up in the middle of the Black Dogs. It wasn't long before her Footmen crossed blades with the Black Dogs as they flanked the mercenaries from the back. She kicked a mercenary back and her horse stood in it's hind legs before crushing the man's head with it's front hooves.

She swung her Maul Axe and watched as the Axe part bisected a man in the middle. She then used the Hammer part to cave another mercenary's face in. The Black Dogs focused their attention on her. Mercenaries with spears tried to take a stab at her only for a Water Elemental crashed into them, sending them back. The Half-Elf turned to face the Archmage before making her way to Jaina.

"Thank you for the assistance, Lady Proudmoore."

"It's no trouble, Lady Joan."

She looked around as the Black Dog's numbers slowly dwindled. She saw someone headbutt Arthas only to receive a headbutt from the Prince in return. Captain Falric raised his shield to block a mercenary's strike and saw the man left himself exposed. Seeing his opportunity, he quickly stabbed the man in the midsection before pulling out his blade and quickly severing the man's head. The Black Dogs started to run but the Riflemen did quick work with them. Picking them off like fish in a barrel.

"Thank the Light. It's almost over." The Archmage commented.

"I agree, Lady Proudmoore. The city is safe... "

Jaina looked up at the Paladin as she heard her tone of voice change.

"Is something wrong, Lady Joan?"

"I've seen what they've done with the women. To do so in broad daylight. Light, to do it at all. These men are lower than dirt. May the Light show them mercy for I have none."

She emphasized this by dropping from her mount and walking towards a mercenary who was crawling away. His leg was crushed, likely by Arthas' Maul. As a Paladin, she should heal the man with the Light but after what they've done...

"I can heal you, mercenary. I can."

She kicked him to his back and dropped her Maul Axe at the man's chest. The combined weight and the pain of his legs was too much and the man screamed in pain.

"But after seeing what you've done here. You don't deserve such kindness from me..." She raised her weapon and prepared to use the Axe part to end his life. The mercenary closed his eyes and prepared to let the pain end. He heard a loud the but he felt nothing but the pain of his crushed legs. He opened his eyes only to see the Axe head buried on the ground beside his head.

"Nor such mercy." The Half-Elf muttered before taking her weapon and leaving the man to die in a slow, painful death.

Jaina watched all this happen before following the Paladin as she left to meet up with Arthas. She was conflicted at the man's plight but deep down, she knew he deserved it. It wasn't long before they reached Arthas, along with Falric, who was talking to Princess Alicia about something.

~Line Break~

"So this land is called Eostia?"

"Yes and you are in the city of Feoh. One of the seven cities of Eostia. One which I govern along with Prime minster Meryn Augustus Beasley. Though he vanished before the invasion had begun."

'A traitor perhaps? His timing is too perfect for it not to.' Arthas mused before nodding.

"Now then, Prince Arthas. How could we ever repay you?"

"You can start by helping us with a map and resources. We have a base South of Feoh and my men need the resources to build our buildings."

"Very well but be warned. News of this will reach the Black Dogs and their leader, Volt. He will not take kindly to what happened here. I fear Feoh will not stand another assault like this."

"Can't you request reinforcements from the other cities? Surely they would agree to lending their forces to your aid." The Captain asked.

"Maybe so but the Black Dogs are many. Too many. They were the bulk of our forces in our war against the Dark Elf Queen, Olga Discordia, before they turned on us. The Dark Queen agreed to an Alliance against the Black Dogs after they took her lands but they still outnumber us. Volt is a charismatic man. He had swayed many to his ideals. The only solution I can think of is to abandon the city and seek refuge in Ken."

"How far is Ken from Feoh?"

"Five days if we ride fast."

Arthas hummed in thought. He can offer them help but he doesn't know how long until the Black Dogs return. If Alicia gives them the manpower they need, then maybe they can up the defenses of Feoh and train more troops to bolster their numbers. Perhaps he can also have Alicia's warriors wear more... proper armor than the ones they were wearing now. He can't see why someone would willingly go to battle in such things. The High-Elven Rangers wore minimal armor but not to the point that they looked like they were wearing basically nothing.

"If you can give us the necessary resources and manpower, we can help rebuild Feoh and bolster her defenses."

"Why would you do this?" Alicia asked with narrowed eyes "No one does these things without asking for something in return."

"You're right." Arthas replied. Staring straight into her eyes "I do have something to ask in return. Our base won't be able to withstand an attack from the Black Dogs if Feoh fell. Our numbers are too few for such a defense and our base has no wall to protect us. I ask that you give my people refuge in Feoh and in return, we will do whatever we can to repel whatever the Black Dogs sends us. We will help build siege defenses and train you soldiers that Feoh lacks. But only if you give us refuge."

"You know I can't refuse such an opportunity. Not when my people are on the line. If I refuse, you will leave and my people will suffer. But if I accept, I would be handing my city to a foreign power."

'Not really.' Arthas thought 'I wouldn't leave your people to suffer. I would've escorted them safely to the next city before finding someone else to take us in but if that's how you wanna look at it... '

The Prince kept silent as the Princess pondered on her decision. Alicia looked around her, seeing the soldiers of Lordaeron helping her people. High-Elven Priests running around and helping the wounded. The Dwarves were patrolling the walls, some were drinking with her male soldiers. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She sighed before looking into Prince Arthas' eyes.

"I accept."

"Accept what?"

The two turned as Jaina and Joan joined them. The Half-Elf set her weapon down and crossed her toned arms. The Archmage raised an eyebrow and waited for an answer, crossing her arms and mirroring the Paladin.

"Well?"

~Line Break~

Captain Valerius sighed as he inspected his Hand Cannon for the umpteenth time. It's been hours since the Prince and his party had left followed later by Joan and the requested reinforcements. Still no sign of their return. The Footman can't stop worrying. Arthas entrusted him to hold the base but that doesn't stop him from worrying about the safety of the Prince of Lordaeron.

"Captain!" A Footman Sergeant called out "There's a messenger outside of the perimeter. She says she brings a message from Prince Arthas."

"Let her in. But keep two Footmen by her at all times."

"Sir."

The Sergeant left the Barracks, leaving Valerius as he set the gun down and picked up his sword and a whetstone before proceeding to sharpen his blade. A while later, he heard the doors open and a very, scantily clad woman entered. Flanked by two Footmen. He had to give the two credit for not openly gawking at the messenger.

'By the Light, woman, have you no decency? ' He thought to himself before the woman stepped forward.

"Captain Valerius?" The messenger began.

"Yes?"

"Prince Arthas tasked me to bring this you."

She reached down her satchel and pulled out a rolled up parchment. She held it out to him and he slowly took it. Upon reading it, the Captain sighed and set it down next to his Hand Cannon, followed by his helmet. Two fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking back at the messenger.

"Very well. I shall have the men ready to leave. Stay and rest for a bit. Help yourself around the base. And for Light's sake, someone get this woman a cloak to cover her! I'd rather not have the Workers get too distracted from their job."

The Captain let out a calming breath before ordering a Footman to relay the message throughout the base. The two Footmen beside the messenger bid her to leave the Barracks. As they left, Valerius shook his head. Things are about to get crazier than it already is. First, the Undead began scourging Lordaeron and now they get sent to another world and with no way back in sight yet.

'See the world, they said. It'll be fun, they said. Yeah right. At least I get to hobnob with Royalty.'


	2. Might of Lordaeron Ch 2

It has been a week since the attack on Feoh and already did the Prince of Lordaeron and his small army made themselves at home in the city. Most of the time in those seven days were spent on building defenses and training Militia and, those who were brave enough and willing, Footmen of Lordaeron. Men who swore vengeance against the Black Dogs for the atrocities done to their wives, children and relatives, took the training taught to them by the Captains.

Speaking of the Captains, the two were currently overseeing the training of the Militia while sitting down and sharing a drink.

"I should've been a farmer like my father wanted." Falric said before taking a sip from his waterskin.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Life of a soldier, Valerius. Lousy pay, constant danger. Well, at least I get to hobnob with Royalty."

"True." Valerius moved to drink but stopped midway before looking at Falric "Wait... You get paid?"

Silence fell before it turned into fits of boisterous laughter, making some of the Militia and Footmen look at the two and wonder if the sun has finally gotten to them. A distance from them, Joan watched the two before shaking her head in amusement. They were told to train the troops and militia. To them, it apparently meant let the Sergeant do all the work while they sit on the side and drink. The Half-Elf then looked at the assembled women in front of her. She honestly wondered why she was the one that got stuck giving them armor when the Workers or the city's own blacksmith can do it. For Light's sake, she was a Paladin damn it!

"I think the point of underwear is to keep it under your armor. Not make it your armor. Here."

She reached over to one of the smaller armor sets and set it out on the young woman in front of her. She wasn't even sure if this one was truly young or just short or perhaps an Elven lineage. She also noticed that most of the Women Knights have yet to experience such a battle in this magnitude. The number of raped and dead women among their ranks just proves it. Perhaps these knights need to be trained more.

She looked at the young woman as she struggled to lift the whole weight of the armor before going to the back to put them on. She couldn't get help but shake her head at that. Honestly, if they wore good armor in the first place, they wouldn't complain about the heaviness of the ones she was handing out to them. Oh, well. If they wanted to wear something like that, they should've been a Rogue or something else that doesn't make you fight head-to-head with the enemy. Maybe she should just give them rifles and see if they're better at that than swordplay.

"Is this really necessary? This armor is too heavy."

Joan gave the woman a deadpan look before shoving the armor pieces in her arms.

"And your 'armor'." She retorted with finger quotes "Is basically your underwear. No form of protection whatsoever. So stop complaining and suit up, you're holding up the line, missy."

The bluenette grumbled in annoyance before doing what she was told. Joan watched her go with a glare before sighing and handing out another set of armor.

'Light, spare me from this torture.'

Arthas, Jaina and Alicia overlooked all of this from the castle. One thing Alicia realized about the Lordaeron group was that they build fast. Very fast. It took them only three days to build everything they needed inside the city. Barracks, Workshops, Altar of Kings, Arcane Sanctums and another Castle. They even had Farms and Defense Towers built outside the city. Everywhere she looked, there was bound to be a Footman patrolling the area. She soon found her city adorning the flag of Lordaeron. At least, Arthas and Jaina were kind enough to let her in on the plans for... anything. Father and Beasley never let's her in on any of their plans.

"Arthas, I just got a report that a band of refugees were spotted outside the city limits. It seems they were from another town sacked by the Black Dogs. I fear we'll receive more reports like this in the near future."

That was another thing on Alicia's mind. Feoh has been a beacon of light for refugees after word got out of what happened. Feoh was slowly expanding her borders because of the amount of refugees coming to the city. It bodes well for Lordaeron because it meant more manpower but it also means that the Black Dogs are getting stronger for every town or land they conquer.

"Well. This is interesting."

Arthas and Alicia looked at the Archmage as she read the parchment in her hands.

"It looks like the Goddess Incarnate and the Dark Queen is coming here to seek an audience with Lordaeron's leaders. Prince Arthas Menethil and Lady Jaina Proudmoore. Technically, I'm from Kul'Tiras and we're under the Alliance but whatever floats their boat, I guess." The Archmage finished with a shrug before setting the parchment down.

"Wow. You guys are getting quite popular, aren't you?"

The three looked at the door to see Prim standing there with a basket full of bread. She smiled and bowed before setting the basket down the table.

"I hope you guys are hungry. These were bought fresh from the oven."

Seeing the girl made everyone in the room smile. The girl can make the whole room light up with that sweet, little smile.

"When is her Highness due to arrive?"

Jaina reread the parchment and her eyes widened.

"It's today!"

Alicia choked on the bread she was eating. Prim quickly ran behind her cousin, making a fist and grabbing it with her other hand and placed it just above Alicia's navel and pushed inward. She did so until the piece of bread was dislodged from the blonde's throat. Alicia, though, did not stop to gather herself before looking at Jaina incredulously.

"They're coming here? Today!?"

Jaina took a step back and blinked at the younger girl before slowly nodding. Arthas watched it all happen with amusement as he set his feet up on another chair and leaned back with his arms behind his head. This was getting good.

"We have to make arrangements for their arrival now!"

"Calm down, Lady Alicia." Jaina raised her hands in a calming motion "The city has been cleaned up since the battle. All we need is to set up some banners, some flowers, horns for their arrival and introduction and a formal statement to the people of Feoh. We can do that in a matter of hours. Right, Arthas?"

She looked to the Prince only to see him leaning back on his chair. He gave her a thumbs up before taking a piece of bread and indulging himself. She looked back at the ruffled blonde and grinned.

"See?"

Alicia sighed and relented.

"Fine. But do it in a hurry. We don't know when they'll arrive." She then realized that there were still two arms wrapped around her and something was nuzzling her back. She looked over her shoulder to see her cousin rubbing her head on her hair. Her eyes closed and a cat smile adorning her face.

"Mmm."

"Uh, Prim? You can let me go now."

Said Princess opened her eyes at her cousin's voice and realized there were others in the room. Arthas and Jaina gave her amused smiles as the girl quickly pulled back and scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. Madly blushing at her actions.

"S-Sorry." The blushing pinkette stuttered out. Earning small chuckles from the Alliance duo and a confused glance from the Princess Knight.

'What's up with her?'

~Line Break~

Celestine Lucross and Olga Discordia was not expecting the sight before them. A large wall with a large gate and flanked by two towers. The symbol on the front was something they have never seen before but they were sure it was not the crest of the city of Feoh. The symbol was a shield with a golden, stylized L in the middle. Behind it was a hammer with a golden lion on the head and was flanked by two crossed swords.

"Something tells me this will be interesting, don't you think?" Celestine asked her companion who simply replied with a nod. Not even bothering to look at her. This made the High-Elf's expression sadden and her ears lower. Olga could at least act friendly towards her. Here she was willing to try and start anew. A chance for peace. Why can't the Dark Elf see that?

"Halt! Who goes there?"

The two looked up and saw a knight with very large shoulder armor looked down on them.

"Who are you and what is your business in Feoh? Speak quickly!"

Celestine opened her mouth to reply but Olga beat her to it.

"You dare speak to us that way, human? Do you not know who stands before you?"

'Well, actually, we're sitting on horses. Not standing.' Celestine thought but kept her mouth shut.

"No. I don't. That's why-"

He was interrupted when another knight ran to his side spoke something in hushed tones. The knight nodded before looking down at them.

"You may enter."

The large gate lowered to the ground, revealing a brick road. Celestine and Olga, along with their guards, rode their mounts through the gate. They passed by Farms and their farmers. Refugees and soldiers. The people held mixed reactions towards Celestine. Some were ecstatic to see their Goddess Incarnate has blessed them with her presence. Others were not so receptive. Thinking that their so called Goddess abandoned them in their time of need. Where was she when their town was sacked? Where was she when the Black Dogs took advantage of their family and friends? The same Dogs she hired to fight her war with the Dark Queen. Speaking of the Dark Queen, the people wondered why she would ally herself with the very same person that made the monsters that raped and pillaged their homes. It wasn't until they reached the city itself did they receive a much more warm welcome than the one they received from the road.

Trumpets sounded as they entered the walls the city. People inside cheered as they made their way to the castle. Flower petals rained down on them as they passed the residential district. As they entered the castle grounds, they were met with a more militaristic sight. The sides of the road that lead to the entrance of the castle had knights with their swords raised to the sky. On the right side of the grounds, Militia and some of Alicia's Knights were being trained in shield tactics. On the left side of the grounds, a dwarf in a blue cloak were teaching some of the women knights how to use a 'Rifle'. Some of them were even practicing on targets.

Celestine won't admit it but the sound coming from those rifles slightly intimidated her. Unfortunately, a bit of that fear slipped through her calm mask. On the outside, Olga was calm and aloof as ever but inside she was intimidated. Not by the sounds but the rifles themselves. From what she could see, the weapon was very devastating and very dangerous.

They reached the castle's entrance and dropped from their mounts. Allowing some of the knights to take it to the stables. The large door of the castle opened and they were lead to the main hall. Once there, they were greeted by Princesses Alicia and Prim. They bowed politely before leading them towards Alicia's study or what now became the meeting room of Alicia and the Lordaeron leaders. On the way, Celestine and Olga noticed the two different banners that were around the halls and corridors. Alicia informed them that it was the colors of Lordaeron and their Alliance. When asked about it, Alicia told them that it was the Alliance of Lordaeron. It composed of the Humans, Elves and Dwarves. Anything beyond that was best explained by Prince Menethil and Archmage Proudmoore.

"They're through this door, your Highnesses."

Alicia bowed and opened the door. Celestine and Olga entered the room and saw a woman in purple sitting by the table and reading a large book. Upon hearing the door open, Jaina looked up from her book before setting it down the table and turning to the other occupant of the room. A long, golden haired man had his back towards them and was looking out the window, towards the castle grounds.

"Arthas." The woman, who had striking blue eyes that looked like it was slightly glowing, long golden hair and beautiful features, called out "Our guests have arrived."

Arthas turned away from the window and faced Celestine and Olga. The man was handsome. Very handsome in Celestine's opinion. Long, golden hair. Blue-green eyes. Chiseled features and the beginnings of a beard. She could only wonder what his body was like under that armor. Before her thoughts could get any further, she was interrupted when Olga elbowed her on the abdomen. The Dark Elf raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the Lordaeronians.

"Well? Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

The High-Elf stuttered out an apology to the Dark Elf before calming herself.

"I am Celestine Lucross. High Queen of Eostia and Goddess Incarnate. I have heard tales of your battle against the Black Dogs. You have helped Princess Knight Alicia to repel the mercenaries and monsters. With that, you have my eternal gratitude." She ended with a bow.

Arthas was trying very hard not to stare. It's like every other woman he met here wore less and less clothing. Seriously, is there something wrong with wearing armor? Or a shirt and a pair of pants? Jaina was having the same thoughts as him. Sure she wore pants that hug her hips and her top leaves her abdomen open but at least she was wearing something. Looking at the High Queen's choice of clothing, it was obvious there was nothing under that loin cloth. She had half a mind to take off her cloak and wrap it around the High-Elf. She could say the same to the Dark Elf too. She wondered if that top ever gives out from the weight of the Elf's mounds.

"And I am Olga Discordia. Queen of the Dark Elves and..." The Dark Elf sighed before looking at the Lordaeronians "Former ruler of Dark Castle and Garan."

"I am Arthas Menethil. Prince of Lordaeron."

"And I am Jaina Proudmoore. Archmage of the Kirin Tor."

"The Kirin Tor?" Olga asked.

"The ruling conclave of magi in Dalaran. One of the seven kingdoms of the Alliance." Jaina replied.

"Oh. Do tell."

Arthas watched as the two seemed to be lost in their own little world of magic. The Prince turned to the High-Elf and chuckled.

"I apologize, Lady Celestine. It's been too long since Jaina has spoken with someone about magic. I'm sure we can fill them up later. Now, please, why would the Goddess Incarnate leave her fortress city and travel to Feoh? I'm sure it's not only to thank us for what we've done for Feoh." His voice turned serious as he stared down at the High-Elf. Even the elves here are strange. Most of the elves he met were as tall as him or an inch or two shorter. These elves, however, were at least 5'6 in height.

The Goddess nodded and looked up at the Prince "You are correct, Prince Menethil. I have come here to arrange an alliance between the Lordaeron and the Seven Shield Alliance. You have done us a great service in repelling the Black Dogs even when you had the chance to turn away. I hoped that together, we can end the Black Dogs' injustice and give Eostia the peace she has sought for for centuries. My people are strong but I fear that will not be enough for the Black Dogs but with Lordaeron on our side... perhaps there is hope in defeating Volt and his Army."

Arthas kept his expression neutral as he thought it over. In all honesty, Lordaeron was already at war with Volt. Without his father here and with no way to contact him, Arthas was, in a way, Lordaeron's sole leader in this world. With Lordaeron's attack on the Black Dogs, war with them was inevitable. It couldn't hurt having allies on the side but he wasn't going to hand out Lordaeron's services for free.

"As much as I'd like to agree with that, I'll have to speak with Jaina about this. Dalaran, and in extension the Kirin Tor, are part of the Alliance. Since none of Dalaran's leader are present, Jaina is the closest they have to a leader here but not just that, she is also the daughter of Kul'Tiras ruler. So all in all, she is the closest form of leadership Dalaran and Kul'Tiras have here. I'll have to consult with her before we can reach an agreement."

Celestine sighed "Very we-"

"Milord!"

The occupants of the room turned to the door just as a Footman came running in. He stopped to take a breather before saluting the Prince.

"Milord, there's a company of Footmen and Riflemen at the outer gates. They bear the flag of Kul'Tiras."

"What!?"

The Eostians stared at Jaina's sudden outburst. She hurried over the Footman and asked "Are you sure it was Kul'Tiran?"

"Yes, milady. Golden anchor over a green flag. But they were all Footmen and Riflemen, milady. No one above the rank of Captain was identified."

Jaina looked down. Hoping at least someone from her family was there. She looked at the Footman and thanked him before turning to Arthas.

"Arthas, can you handle things from here while I talk to my people?"

"Of course, Jaina." The Prince nodded "I'll take it from here. Your people need you."

She ran up to him and gave him a quick hug before leaving. Arthas smiled as he watched her go before turning to the Eostians.

"I'm sorry to cut this short but it seems we'll continue this another time. You'll have your answer today, Lady Celestine. I promise you that. Now if you'll excuse me." He walked over to the table and grabbed Jaina's staff "I have to give this back to Lady Proudmoore. Lady Celestine, Lady Olga, Alicia."

He bid them goodbye before leaving the room, staff in hand. Celestine and Olga looked at each other, a silent conversation going between them. Alicia bid her queen farewell as she went to look for Prim.

"What do you think?" Celestine began.

"The Archmage is trustworthy. Her eyes hold no ill will or a hidden agenda. She is honest and a skilled Magi... for a Human." She finished with her arms crossed. It took a lot to admit a Human was skilled at the Arcane arts. Especially from someone like her, a Dark Elf "She is powerful and intellectual. She can be counted on if we are to take the fight to Volt."

"And the Prince?"

"I'm afraid I'm at a loss with that. I had a vision of the Prince taking an accursed blade and slaughtering the very people he had sworn to save. Those he didn't were turned into something worse. Today, I saw in his eyes pride and impulsiveness but also courage and a strong will. The man, no monster, I saw in my vision was ruthless, unforgiving and cruel. Nothing like the man we met. Unfortunately, even if he is not the same as in my vision. There is a chance something will push him to become a monster. He is trustworthy... for now."

Celestine wondered what would push Arthas into becoming what he was in Olga's vision. She closed her eyes and let out a breath.

"Let us hope that it will not come to that. Come Olga. I'd like to take you to the gardens behind the castle." The High-Elf grabbed the Dark Queen's wrist and pulled her out of the room. The Dark Elf begrudgingly followed. A few minutes later, they stopped and Celestine looked at Olga sheepishly.

"Forgive me, Olga, but I may have forgotten the route to take to the gardens."

"So you're saying we're lost."

At the High-Elf's sheepish nod, the Dark Queen's left brow twitched and she facepalmed. How in the world did the war lasted for centuries when this ditz was in charge, she'll never know.

~Line Break~

"So you heard about the Kul'Tirans?"

Valerius looked up from his work at the Half-Elf Paladin.

"Yes. It seems Lordaeronians aren't the only ones getting swept off into different worlds." The Captain joked.

"How did they get here?" Joan asked as she leaned on the doorway. After the Queens, then the Kul'Tirans, arrival, Valerius decided he had enough excitement for one day and decided to retire in the Barracks.

"Same way as us. Purple beam of light, a storm and a bright flash of light before nothing. Next thing they know, they were shipwrecked in the middle of nowhere." He replied just as he finished cleaning his Hand Cannon's Bayonet. He inspected the weapon one last time before giving a satisfied hum and setting it down. He let out a yawn before standing up and facing the Half-Elf.

"Is there something you need, Jo?"

"Yes." Joan replied with a nod "Follow me."

The Half-Elf left and the Captain sighed before grabbing his weapons and following after her.

'That's not really an answer, Jo.'

~Line Break~

"Forgive me, Lady Proudmoore, but we bear ill news from Lordaeron and Azeroth."

Jaina hoped Arthas wasn't around to hear this "What news, Captain?"

"Andorhal is lost and there were rumors that Stratholme has fallen to the plague. Reports say that Lord Uther tried to quarantine the city while he tried to find a cure but the infected citizens have turned and forced Lord Uther's forces to retreat. There were also reports that Prince Muradin Bronzebeard and his expedition team vanished in the continent of Northrend. King Terenas has gone into depression after Prince Arthas was declared missing. As for your father, he blamed the Orcs for summoning the plague and pushed for total war against them. But..."

"What is it, Captain?"

The Captain shook his head before looking at Jaina "I fear your father is looking for the wrong enemy. While at sea, we encountered the Orcs and their leader, Thrall. They have left Lordaeron and were sailing West to a land called Kalimdor. With the size of their fleet, we had no hope of defeating them so we let them be." He shook his head "The dead rising from the grave, Orcs fleeing the land and the Eastern Kingdoms slowly descending into chaos. It is a sign, my Lady. A dark omen. I fear that if we return to Azeroth, there won't be an Alliance to return to."

Jaina contemplated on this. She didn't think the situation at home could get any worse. She had hoped Lord Uther would've found a way to end the scourge by now. Apparently, she was wrong. She sighed as her thoughts went to her father. It was no secret that Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, ruler of Kul'Tiras, hated Orcs to the bone. Sure they witnessed the Blackrock Clan perform demonic rituals but that didn't mean the whole Horde summoned the Plague of Undeath.

She hoped she wouldn't have to tell Arthas but it would be inevitable. Once he hears of this, he will want to end this campaign against the Black Dogs quickly and find a way home. He loves his people. He would do anything to save them. She knew that he blamed himself when one of his people died when he could have done something or if he was fast enough or strong enough. That's what she loved about him. Loved? Still love? After so long, she can't believe she still held feelings for him. It toned down when Arthas called it off so they could focus on their duties but it was still there. Deep down, she wished they could rekindle that old spark and pick up where they left off.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her and saw Arthas smiling down at her, her staff in his other hand.

"I believe you forgot this."

She blushed at that. How could she make a mistake that only a Novice would make? Stuttering an apology, she gratefully took the offered staff and thanked the Prince. Arthas smiled at her and said "Don't mention it."

"My Lord."

The turned to the voice and saw Falric walking towards them. He stopped and saluted before telling them his reports.

"Militia training has been successful, Prince Arthas. The people of Feoh and the refugees from the other towns are eager to spill the blood of the Dogs. They take their training seriously and there are certain individuals that I want to induct in the ranks of our Footmen. Some of Lady Alicia's knights proved to excel on Rifle Training than Swordsmanship. It would do us good to bolster the ranks of our Riflemen. Speaking of which, production of Rifles and Hand Cannons is going great, my Lord. Also, I would gladly report that Lady Alicia's knights and soldiers are given 'proper' armor and clothing. The knights were given armor and the Riflewomen were given leather armor and blue cloaks. No more distraction for the Workers, that's for sure."

He muttered the last sentence and caused the other two to chuckle. It was no secret that Alicia's knights wore 'questionable' apparel. Most of the Worker and soldiers didn't mind the show but the Captains, on the other hand, were a bit flustered at seeing half naked women running around and causing distractions. Besides, they were sure that with armor that actually cover their vital and tender parts, the mortality rate of Alicia's knights would be lower than before.

They were soon joined by Alicia and Prim, the former wearing a less revealing set of armor. A white breastplate with golden accents and a blue cape. Matching white rerebraces, couter, vambraces and gauntlets over black, fingerless gloves. Underneath the armor, she wore chainmail. For the lower part of her armor, she wore tight-fitting black pants under a blue loin cloth. She wore blue knee guards with golden accents. White and gold greaves and white sabatons. Of course the most prominent feature the armor has were the set of oversized pauldrons. Surprisingly, she wasn't having any difficult moving with them.

"Well, don't you look like a proper knight." Arthas commented as he ruffled the shorter girl's hair, much to the Princess' annoyance. She huffed and pushed his large hand away. A little bit of red dusting her cheeks. Prim brought a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh as Arthas ruffled Alicia's hair once more.

Jaina couldn't help but laugh at this. She found it endearing, seeing Arthas do this. If Alicia had blue green eyes, those who didn't know them could've mistaken the two for siblings. Her laugh grew louder when Alicia finally had enough and tried to punch Arthas. The Prince simply raised his hand and let the smaller girl's head run into his hand. The Princess tried to reach him with her fists but Arthas didn't budge, yawning at Alicia's attempts to get back at him.

The Princess finally gave up as her shoulders sagged.

"Fine. You win."

Arthas chuckled and ruffled her hair one last time before turning away. He looked at Jaina and Prim and saw the smiles on their faces. His gaze locked on Jaina's and he felt something buried deep stir once more.

'Even after all these years, you still have a hold in my heart.'

"My Lord!"

He turned to the speaker and saw Joan running towards them with Valerius in tow. She stopped in front of them and took a moment to catch her breath.

"M-My Lord. One of our patrol squads have captured a Black Dog. We interrogated him and found out that their amassing forces north of Feoh."

Arthas' face set into a neutral expression. He then turned to Falric "Tell your men to start evacuating the people. Valerius."

"Yes, My Lord?"

"Are they still waiting for more reinforcements?"

"They are. From what we've gathered from the prisoner, they are at least a thousand strong. There will be more by the time they attack."

Arthas crossed his arms and looked down. On the corner of his eye, he spotted the Hand Cannon on his belt.

"How many Hand Cannons do we have?"

"At least three companies worth, my Lord. They're already in the hands of capable Footmen."

"Captain." His voice solemn "What I ask of you is dangerous. There is a chance that you and your men will not come back alive."

Valerius snickered and looked at Arthas with a raised brow "Dangerous? My Lord, I'm a Footman. That basically says I'm expected to be expendable and in constant danger. With that said, what is your wish, my Prince?"

"I need you to gather your men and strike the enemy while they are still amassing their troops. Hit them hard and hit them fast. If their reinforcements arrive, I want you to get out of there and return here as soon as possible." He then turned to the Archmage "Jaina, I hate to ask you this but can you go with them? I need you to teleport them near the enemy's encampment and teleport them out once they retreat. Can you do that?"

"It'll take a lot of Mana but we'll manage." Jaina replied with a nod. Arthas nodded his thanks before turning to Alicia and Prim.

"Alicia, I want you to join Falric and help in evacuating the people. Join me at the wall as soon as they're secured. Prim, find Lady Lucross and Discordia. Tell them about the situation then join the evacuation. Go!"

Prim yelped before picking up her skirt and started running to the castle. Arthas then turned to Joan "Start gathering troops and stay in the city. I'll gather the rest of the army and hold my ground by the gate. Should they destroy the gate and pass through." His expression darkened and Alicia couldn't help but feel a slight sense of fear at his tone of voice "They will die by my hand."

~Line Break~

Hicks grinned in satisfaction as he saw another hundred men join them. They were about two thousand strong now and there will be another thousand added later today. He looked down from the top of the cliff and saw the men enjoy themselves with the women they captured in the towns. One girl to service at least ten men. Pretty soon, Feoh will be theirs and that cunt, Alicia, will be on her knees. Begging to be fucked again and again while they make the pink one watch. He grunted as he felt himself climaxed and looked at the bitch on the ground. The woman pulled away from his dick and coughed out his semen. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her towards the awaiting mercenaries behind him.

"She's all yours, boys!"

"YEAH!"

Hicks smiled as the girl screamed for mercy only to have a cock shoved into her mouth. She was lifted up by the legs and another was shoved in her pussy.

"Life is good. Life is go-"

He was interrupted as they heard thunder from below? He looked down on the encampment and saw at least three hundred Lordaeronians appear out of nowhere and started shooting the bewildered mercenaries.

"What the fuck!?"

~Line Break~

Valerius smiled in triumph as he fired a shot from his Hand Cannon and watched as a chunk of the mercenary's head was blown away. He looked around him and saw that his men were doing quick work of the surprised mercenaries. He was expecting for Lady Proudmoore to teleport them near the encampment not IN the encampment. Oh well. It took the enemy by surprise and that was an opportunity they cannot waste.

"Come on, men. Kill them like the scum they are!"

"AYE!"

Clouds of smoke filled the air as their Hand Cannons fired and hit their mark. Valerius only had a split second to block a mercenary's sword before stabbing him with the Hand Cannon's bayonet in the abdomen. He pulled the gun back and aimed the barrel under the mercenary's jaw and fired. Blood and brain matter splattered his helmet and armor before he moved to his next target. All around him, Footmen shot, stabbed and killed any mercenary they could see. Most of the mercenaries were still surprised from their arrival while the others gathered their and started to fight back. Soon, the Footmen forgone their Hand Cannons and crossed blades with the mercenaries.

A mercenary who was forcing himself on a young woman when they arrived, tried to stand up while pulling his pants only for a sword to run through his mouth and out the back of his head. One foolishly charged a Footman, who simply raised his Hand Cannon and fired at the mercenary. The soldier watched the body fall before moving on to the next one.

Valerius stabbed a mercenary in the back and kicked the body off his blade. He looked around and saw the naked women the mercenaries were taking advantage of and quickly ordered his soldiers to take the prisoners and get them to Jaina. Some of the women were chained to posts while others were left on the ground for dead.

"Get the prisoners out of there, now!" Valerius ordered as he cut the chains that tied a prisoner to a post. The young woman, barely past her twenties, immediately enveloped the Captain in a hug. Though it was not out of gratitude.

"Fuck me. Please, fuck me!"

'By the Light. They broke them!' He thought before gently pushing the broken woman away.

"Please, my lady. We're here to get you out. Matthias!"

A Footman Sergeant ran to his side "Sir!"

Valerius took off his cloak and wrapped it around the woman's body before gently handing her to Matthias.

"Get these prisoners to Lady Proudmoore. Keep them safe."

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, with the Archmage. Jaina summoned a Water Elemental and ordered it to crush the mercenaries. She couldn't cast Blizzard unless she wanted her allies to get caught in it. She saw that the mercenaries were starting to get their bearings and were slowly fighting back.

"Lady Proudmoore!"

She looked to the speaker and saw a Sergeant and a company of Footmen escorting the Black Dogs' prisoners towards her.

"These were all the prisoners we could get. The mercenaries are regrouping. They cut us off from Captain Valerius and the main force. I believe he still has more prisoners with him."

"Form a circle! Get a runner and tell the Captain I'm preparing for a Mass Teleport."

"Aye, milady! Form a circle! Form a circle!"

The Footmen quickly formed a circle around the prisoners and Jaina. Holding back the mercenaries while a runner made his way to the Captain.

Valerius struck down another mercenary before a Footman called him. He turned to the runner "What is it? In case you didn't know. We're in the middle of a battle here!"

"Lady Proudmoore is preparing for a Mass Teleport. We have formed a circle around her and the prisoners. She's awaiting for your retreat, sir."

"Understood." He raised his sword towards the Archmage "Footmen, fallback! Return to Lady Proudmoore. We are leaving!"

The Footmen heard their Captain's orders and retreated towards Jaina. They used their Hand Cannons to shoot down the mercenaries blocking them. Hundreds of mercenaries lay dead on the ground before them. Unfortunately, about a thirty plus Footmen joined those bodies. The other Footmen went back to grab the bodies and refused let the Black Dogs desecrate their dead.

"Don't stop! Get to the perimeter!" Valerius blocked a strike from a mercenary and run him through with his blade before sliding the body off with his shield. His company of Footmen started to merge with the circle and expanded it. He moved pass some of the prisoners and made his way to Jaina but not before turning to his men.

"Do not let them pass!" Valerius ordered as he made his way to Jaina "My Lady, this is all the prisoners we could rescue. There are still more but we can't reach them without losing half the company."

"I understand. Prepare yourself, Captain. Here we go!"

Jaina looked up and her eyes glowed bright as she uttered the Mass Teleport's incantation. A blue circle of light with runic texts formed under the Lordaeronians feet. Another circle formed above them and in the center was a bright blue light. Jaina raised her staff and it glowed so bright that the whole encampment was blinded. When the light died down, the Lordaeronians were gone. Not a trace of them was left.

~Line Break~

Hicks kicked the dead body of a mercenary in frustration. Damn those Lordaeron fuckers! How did three hundred men deal that much damage to two thousand strong mercenaries?

'Tch. No matter.' He thought 'Volt's got enough men to spare. Besides, they didn't take all of the prisoners.'

A cruel grin managed to make it's way into his face as he turned around. The woman that was blowing him before was still getting fucked in three different ways. Hicks unzipped his pants and pushed off the mercenary fucking the girl's pussy before taking his place.

'I'll just have a little fun while we wait.'

~Line Break~

"My Lord, look!"

Arthas turned to where Falric pointed at and saw the Teleportation rings glow before a bright flash of light enveloped the field. He used his forearm to cover his eyes before hearing the sounds of the spell completing. He lowered his arm and saw Jaina walking towards him.

"What happened?"

Jaina sighed and gestured towards the naked prisoners. Arthas grit his teeth before ordering the Footmen to get the prisoners some clothes or anything to cover their exposed bodies. Valerius walked over to them and took off his helmet.

"I'm afraid some of these prisoners are broken, my Lord. Not just physically but mentally as well. I don't know how long the Black Dogs have toyed with them but it was long enough that they could only think of fornicating with anything that has a pulse. I fear that their minds will never truly heal from this. But it also made me wonder. These women were taken from the sacked towns near Feoh and Garan. Volt has a large army. What about the city states far from Feoh? Has his army already raped and pillaged the towns there? Has a city already fallen to his clutches? How despicable is this... monster and how far will he go?"

"They will pay." Arthas muttered through gritted teeth. His eyes shadowed as he held Light's Vengeance tighter and tighter. He looked at the direction of the gate, as if seeing through it and right into the eyes of every single member of the Black Dogs.

"They will all pay... with their blood."

Valerius and Jaina looked at him as his voice oozed pure, unadulterated anger. Arthas turned away from the two and marched to the gate. He stopped and simply glared at it. Light's Vengeance gripped tightly in his hands. Jaina walked over to him. Feeling his aura of hate from where she stood. She stopped beside him and pulled down her hood.

"Arthas... I know I can't sway you from this but promise me this... " She slowly slipped her hand over his and felt his grip on the Maul soften "Don't loose yourself to this anger. The Black Dogs deserve to die for what they've done. But remember why you fought them in the first place. You fight them because Justice needed to be served. Now you fight for the people, the ones you've grown to care about in such a short time. You didn't for anger nor for blood. You fight to protect the ones you care about, just as you always have. Promise me that."

Arthas closed his eyes and relaxed his grip on Light's Vengeance. His hand slowly wrapped around Jaina's and he looked into her stunning, blue eyes.

"I promise."

Back in the field, Valerius watched the two and idly wondered when will he call the Prince 'King Arthas' and Lady Proudmoore as 'Queen Jaina Menethil'. He didn't know he was staring for so long until Falric spoke up.

"So when's their wedding?"

Valerius chuckled and shook his head "Honestly? When this war with the Dogs is over."

"You think they'll wait until we get back to Azeroth?"

"Ha! Not a chance."

"You know we'll get fired if they ever caught wind of our conversation or thrown in toilet duty indefinitely."

"Good point. How's the army doing?"

Falric motioned for Valerius to follow and the two walked towards the assembled army. They passed by Footmen, Militia, Lady Alicia's Knights, who were actually given mounts, and Riflemen.

"The army's morale had risen after seeing those prisoners. They are now more determined to slay the Dogs and are itching to get a chance to run them through with their blade." The two looked at a Riflewoman as she fired the weapon and hit the scarecrow right in the head "Or blow the bastards heads off."

"Good."

"Indeed, Captain."

The two turned and saluted as Princess Alicia joined them. She held a Jousting Lance in her right hand while holding a white, visorless helm under her left arm. Her sword was sheathed on the saddle of the mount beside her.

"At ease, Captains. I wanted to thank you, Captain Valerius for rescuing those prisoners."

"No thanks necessary, my Lady. Or deserved. I couldn't get all the prisoners in time. Many were left in the paws of those Dogs."

"Still. You've done all you cou-"

"Black Dogs! The Black Dogs are coming! They are close to the gate!"

Valerius scoffed before putting his helm back on. Alicia did the same before mounting her steed. Falric had already went into action and started yelling out orders. Alicia rallied her Knights and led them to the far side of the field. Their job was to charge the enemy from the side and retreat before repeating the process until the Black Dogs were forced to try and cover their flanks while fighting Arthas' group in the front. Alicia saw the small drops of rain fall on her armor. She looked up as the sky darkened and the rain began to grow stronger. She could hear the drums of war as the Black Dogs marched to the outer gate of Feoh.

"It has begun."


	3. Might of Lordaeron Ch 3

"My Lord, orders?"

"Fire the Cannon Towers. Unleash Hell."

"CANNONS, FIRE!"

The towers flanking the outer gate adjusted the angle of the cannon and fired. Cannonballs sailed through the air before crashing into the ranks of Black Dogs in a fiery explosion. Chunks of their forces were destroyed as the cannonballs hit their marks. Unfortunately, the Black Dogs still kept their charge on the gate despite the cannonballs raining down their heads. A roar sounded in their ranks and three, heavily armored Ogres charged past the mercenaries. As they got close to the gate, Rifleman atop of it began firing at the Ogres but to no avail. Their armor too thick to pierce through.

"No use wastin' ammo, lads. Shoot the mercenaries instead!"

"Aye!"

The Riflemen redirected their fire to the mercenaries, who were using the Ogres as shields. Pretty soon, the Ogres have reached the gate. Using their spiked clubs, the beasts slammed it against the gate in hopes of breaking it through brute strength.

Behind the army of mercenaries, Hicks stood atop a large rock and surveyed the battle. A mercenary ran to him and said "Boss, that gate is strong but it looks like it'll give up soon. Those fucking dwarves are pounding us to Hell out there. What should we do?"

"Get our archers and tell them to fire at those midgets. That'll distract them at least."

"But what about the cannons?"

"Once that gate comes down, I want you to storm those towers and take control of it. That'll show them not to mess with the Black Dogs."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Hicks smiled as he looked at the city beyond the gate. Feoh will be theirs soon and so will the rest of Eostia.

Back to the gate, the Ogres finally managed to break the center of the gate. One of it stepped back before charging and slamming it's armored head into the weakened structure. The gate gave out and the Ogre fell to it's knees as it grabbed it's head in pain. Shaking off the dizziness, it looked up just in time to see a hammer swing towards it's face. The force of the attack was strong enough to throw the helmet off it's head. The beast roared in pain before it's head was struck again, this time under it's jaw and sending it back.

Arthas harrumphed at the fallen Ogre and glared at the charging mercenaries. The other two Ogres joined the charge, not bothering if they stomped on some of the mercenaries.

"Shields!"

A shieldwall formed in front of Arthas, taking the brunt of the charge and holding the enemy back. An Ogre roared in front of them and raised it's club to strike them down. Unfortunately for it, there were still Riflemen on top of the gate and saw the beast's exposed back. They quickly seized this opportunity and fired their rifles at it, pelting the Ogre's back and killing it.

"Look out!"

The Riflemen looked to the sky and saw the arrows about to rain down on them.

"Take cover!"

The dwarves scattered to take cover inside the towers. Some weren't so lucky and were struck with arrows. The lead Rifleman, Borghar, grit his teeth in pain as he looked at the arrow sticking out his knee.

"Damn bastards!"

"Borghar, the Dogs are trying to break in the towers!"

"Well then barricade it you idiots!"

He stood up and managed to limp his way towards the tower. His Riflemen used whatever they can to barricade the doors. He looked up at the spiral staircase and yelled "Oi, cannoneers. Don't stop firing. Ya hear!"

"What do you think we've been doin' the whole time?"

"Just shoot those Dogs!" He then turned to his assembled Riflemen "Don't let those dogs take this tower. If they break through those doors. Ya shoot them down. If you run out of ammo or they get too close, use your damn bayonets and axes. We're dwarves of Khaz Modan and Riflemen of the Alliance. We'll show these bastards not to mess with an angry dwarf!"

"Aye!"

"Now that's the spirit! Now where the bloody hell is me drink?"

"Here ya go, Boss."

Borghar caught the waterskin and laughed "Oh, there it is."

Back to Arthas. The Prince ducked from the last Ogre's swing and swung his hammer at the side of the beast's knee. The knee bent, accompanied by a loud crack and a cry of pain from the beast, from the force of the Maul's strike. The beast fell to it's knees and five Footmen jumped on it and stabbed it repeatedly with their swords. One managed to stab the beast in the nape and force it down on the ground. The Footmen kept stabbing until the beast was staring blankly to the side.

Falric parried a strike from a mercenary and quickly run him through with his blade. Without looking, he raised his shield and blocked a mercenary that charged him. The mercenary slammed face first into the shield, breaking his nose and sending him down on the ground. The Captain didn't give him time to recover as he quickly stabbed his sword into the downed mercenary's heart. He kicked the body of before ducking to avoid a swing from a longsword. He quickly slit the man's calcaneal tendon, forcing the mercenary to fall to one knee. Before he could recover, Falric's blade ran through his nape and out his neck. The Captain pulled the blade out before kicking the body down and looked at the battlefield.

The Ogres were taken care of but the sheer amount of mercenaries would overwhelm them soon. A mercenary screamed as he prepared to cut down the unsuspecting Captain only to have his head cut off by Alicia. Falric turned around to see the Princess Knight atop her horse. Blade and Lance stained with blood from the battle.

"Thank you, Lady Alicia."

"You're welcome, Captain. My Knights are getting tired. We'll have to fall back soon or else we'll be overrun. We'll make another pass on the enemy before we retreat. Hyah!"

Falric watched her go before blocking a mercenary and pushing him back with his shield. On the other side of the field, Valerius was crossed swords with a bulky mercenary. He grit his teeth as he pushed back the man only for the mercenary to slam his head to his. The force of the blow threw his helmet off and he was slightly pushed back. He glared at the mercenary and kicked the man's knee. He heard the man scream in pain before punching him on the side of the head. The mercenary fell to the ground before Valerius chopped off his head.

The Captain breathed heavily for a bit before grabbing his shield. He looked to the center of the battlefield and saw Arthas surrounded by the mercenaries. Each swing of his Maul took out at least tow or three men but sometimes he would crush a man's skull or punch him to death. Valerius sheathed his sword and took out his Hand Cannon.

"Footmen, forward!" He ordered as his company of Footmen assembled around him, taking out their Hand Cannons "To the Prince!"

They charged towards Arthas, shooting down the mercenaries that got in their way. The roar of Hand Cannons forced some of the mercenaries to flee only for them to be shot in the back. Those who tried to charge the company were pushed back by the Footmen's shields. Valerius shield bashed a mercenary down and was finished off by a Footman behind him.

"My Lord!"

Arthas slammed the mercenaries heads together before turning to Valerius, who blocked a strike with his shield before unloading the Hand Cannon on his attacker's abdomen. He pushed the body off and ran towards Arthas.

"We are getting overrun. We must retreat and regroup with our forces in the city."

Arthas looked around him and saw the overwhelming number of mercenaries. They have dealt a large blow on the enemy forces but his men were growing tired. They will be overrun soon if they don't retreat now. He sighed in frustration and nodded to the Captain.

"Fall back."

"Yes, my Lord." Valerius turned to the battlefield and waved his Hand Cannon "FALL BACK! FALL BACK TO THE CITY!"

Captain Falric struck a mercenary down before he heard the call for retreat. He looked to his men and yelled "FALL BACK! WE ARE LEAVING!"

Alicia rode her mount and stopped beside the Captain "Ride with me!"

Falric nodded and climbed up the saddle. The two retreated together with the Knights. They passed by the Footmen and Valerius, as they cleared the path for Arthas with their Hand Cannons. The rain had yet to stop and it seemed to grow stronger as the battle turned to the Black Dogs' favor. They rode past the abandoned farms and neared the city's doors. The large doors opened and the soldiers made way for the Knights to pass through. Falric and Alicia dismounted and was met by Jaina and Joan. The Archmage looking around for the Prince.

"Where's Arthas?"

"Behind us, my Lady." Falric replied "They'll be here."

Jaina nodded while Joan turned to her troops "Rifles, get ready!"

Two rows of Riflemen and Riflewomen marched towards the gate. They made a pathway when Arthas and the others reached the city doors. Behind them, the Black Dogs were charging at them. Swords, spears and axes held high and waiving them in the air as they neared the gates.

"Rifles, ready!"

The first line dropped to a crouch. The Black Dogs were halfway across the field.

"Aim!"

As one, the Rifles aimed down the sights of their weapons. Picking out their targets and fingers moving over the triggers.

"FIRE!"

~Line Break~

Hondo couldn't believe it. They were actually pushing the Lordaeronians back. He knew joining the Black Dogs was the right choice. The girl of his dreams in his bed and a fine selection of other women to choose from. No one can stop the Black Dogs. But they'll make an example of this bastard of a Prince first.

The mercenary laughed out loud only to hear the sound of a hundred thunders. The next thing he knew, everything around him was a mess. His comrades lay dead on the ground, some of them were still alive but had a large chunk their torso missing. He felt a pain in his left arm and screamed as there was nothing but a bloody stump there. The motherfuckers blew off his arm!

"Aaaaaaggghhhhhh-"

The mercenary was cut off as a second volley fired from the lines of Rifles. One Riflewoman was aiming at his throat before the Rifles unleashed their volley. Hondo fell to his knees while holding the bleeding hole in his neck. Mercenaries ran past him, bumping into him and almost made him fall face first into the ground. He tried calling for help but nothing came out.

A third volley came from the Rifles and Hondo knew no more.

~Line Break~

Sarah watched in slight satisfaction as she watched the man she shot in the neck choke on his own blood. The Rifles readied for another volley and she set her sights on the man once more, her finger anxiously waiting to pull the trigger. She knew this man. Hondo. The bastard had been eyeing her sister for a long time and when she heard that her town was sacked by the Dogs and Abby wasn't among the refugees. She knew Hondo would have something to do with it. Seeing him in the ranks of the Black Dogs. She knew the answer to where her sister is and what happened to her.

"Volley!"

She pulled the trigger and smiled as she nailed him right in the head. She felt satisfaction as she watched his head explode. If she could do it again and again, she would but right now. They still had more Dogs to put down.

"Volley!"

That was their final volley before the Black Dogs reached them. She ducked from a sword swing and stabbed her rifle's bayonet under her attacker's jaw. She pulled her rifle free and stabbed it in a mercenary with a spear before firing the weapon, throwing him back with the force of the blow.

"Shields!"

That was their sign and the Rifles pulled away from the fight, letting the Footmen form a shield wall to keep the Black Dogs under the open gate.

~Line Break~

Valerius and his Footmen formed a shield wall as they let the Rifles fall back and run to the top of the wall. The mercenaries were held back just below the city gates. The plan was to keep them from entering the city while awaiting for the Prince to give the signal.

"Hold steady!"

More of the mercenaries joined the charge to try and push the formation back but to no avail.

"Come on! That best you can do!? Rragh!" Valerius taunted as the formation held the enemy back. Before, the mercenaries were slowly pushing them back but now they could feel the effects of the battle and was starting to grow tired. Once Valerius felt the enemy's push weaken, he took advantage of it.

"Now!"

With one mighty push, the Footmen threw the Black Dogs back and quickly impaled them with their spears. They raised their shields once more and held the enemy back just below the gates. Arthas looked at the top of the wall and gave a Footman the signal. The Footman nodded and ordered the Militia to pour the boiling oil down on the Black Dogs.

Four, large cauldrons of boiling oil were poured down from the top of the wall, bathing the mercenaries below and eliciting painful screams as the oil burned the skins of the unfortunate mercenaries.

The Rifles made their way to the top of the wall. They aimed their rifles at the mercenaries below and fired. Soon, the Black Dogs were in disarray and was slowly being pushed back to the field. As the oil stopped and cooled, the Footmen started to advance towards the Black Dogs.

Behind the shield wall, Arthas casted Divine Protection and faced the Black Dogs. He leapt high into the air and over the shield wall before slamming Light's Vengeance on the ground. Cracking the earth beneath it and throwing away the mercenaries around him. The weapon glowed as golden lightning seem to emit from it.

Arthas looked at the eyes of the Black Dogs and the mercenaries were shocked to see his eyes glow bright like the morning sun. Even the rain has stopped and the sun began to peek through the clouds, shining a beam light at the Prince. He tightened the grip on his Maul before charging at the Black Dogs ranks.

"FOR LORDAERON!"

The mercenaries in his way screamed as the Prince swung his hammer and sent three of them flying. Behind Arthas, Valerius and Falric followed after their Prince with the an army of Footmen. Joan stayed close to the Footmen as she let her Devotion Aura wash over them. Jaina raised her staff and summoned a Water Elemental. This one was as big as an Ogre and let it wreak havoc among the Black Dog ranks. Alicia stayed back as she watched the Lordaeronians fight with renewed ferocity. Her Knights were eager to join in but she wouldn't allow them. Not yet. A plan was starting to form in her head as she thought of the devastating power of the Hand Cannons and Rifles. She looked down at a Sergeant beside her.

"Sergeant, can you spare my Knights and I some Hand Cannons?"

"Certainly, milady." The Footman replied with a nod before handing her his Hand Cannon and ordering some of his men to do the same. As soon as her Knights were equipped with Hand Cannons, she made them for two columns with her on the front and told them of her plan. Soon they were formed and ready to charge, hands in their swords and lances. The Hand Cannons safely tied to their saddle. Alicia raised her sword before pointing at the battle.

"For Feoh!"

"For the Goddess!" Her Knights roared.

"Charge!"

Valerius impaled a mercenary by the mouth before kicking the body away. He heard Lady Alicia's battle cry and turned around to see her Knights cavalry charging.

"Disperse! Mame way for the Princess!"

The shield wall made a hole in the center of their lines, letting the Princess and her cavalry pass through. As soon as they passed the gate, the cavalry turned right and made enough distance between them and the Black Dogs to prepare for a different charge.

"Double line formation!"

The Knights cavalry formed two lines. Twelve Knights in each line.

"Charge!"

The Knights rode their mounts and gained enough speed to trample the mercenaries in the Black Dogs' exposed flanks. The Black Dogs were trampled and crushed by the Knights cavalry, helpless to stop them as they were flanked and cut down. Alicia swung her blade down as on a mercenary and saw it bury itself in his skull. She pulled the blade free and turned her mount the other way to stab a mercenary in the back. All around her, Lordaeronians, Black Dogs and her Knights were crossing swords and spilling blood across the battlefield. She looked to her city and saw the Militia charging out, intent to dish out vengeance for their loved ones. The Rifles at the top of the wall began picking their targets and firing their weapons, being careful not to hit their allies.

"Alicia, look out!"

She heard the warning too late as a mercenary with a spear thrust his weapon at her. Fortunately for her, the spear tip managed to hit the oversized pauldrons rather than her tender parts. Though she was pushed off her mount and into to the muddy ground. The same mercenary thrust his spear once but Alicia moved her head to the side. The spear's tip buried itself on the ground and the mercenary struggled to pull it out.

Alicia saw her opportunity and kicked him on the back, forcing the mercenary to the ground. She rose to her feet and ran her blade through the mercenary's back. She wasn't given a chance to recover when another mercenary tackled her to the ground. The man hit her in the head before raising her loin cloth and ripped a part of her pants off. The man smiled lecherously as he saw her white underwear. He ripped the underwear off and unzipped his pants, taking out his manhood before drawing it closer to her exposed womanhood. She punched him on the side on the temple and the mercenary retaliated by wrapping his fingers around her neck and started choking her. The Princess struggled to push the man off her before her she was starting to see black spots. Her eyes searched for anything she could use before landing on a piece of rock. She reached out and struggled to keep her eyes from closing. Her fingers grasped the rock and she quickly slammed it on the side of the man's head.

Alicia gasped for air as she let it fill her lungs once more. She struggled to her feet before making her way towards the dazed mercenary. She straddled his back before raising the rock high then slamming it on the back of the man's head. She slammed the rock again and again, not noticing the man was already dead and the amount of blood, mud and brain matter staining her armor and gauntlets. She barely noticed someone grabbing her shoulder and shaking her until she looked into a set of glowing blue eyes.

Jaina stared at the young girl in concern as she slowly took the bloodied rock from the Princess' hands. She gently helped her off the dead mercenary and up to her feet. She looked the girl in the eye and said "It's over, Alicia. It's over. He's dead. It's over."

Alicia looked up and noticed the circle of mounted Knights surrounding them. Some were facing away while others were looking at her with worry. She looked back at Jaina and enveloped the woman in a hug.

The Archmage was shocked at the sudden action before wrapping her arms around the girl. She felt tears soaking her cloak as Alicia cried in her shoulder.

Outside of their little circle, Arthas crushed a downed mercenary's skull with Light's Vengeance. He felt empowered by the Light. Taking out enemies left and right on his own. The Divine Protection preventing anything the mercenaries throw at him from doing any damage. Beside him, Falric stood over a kneeling mercenary. The Captain held the man by the collar with his right hand whole furiously bashing his shield on the man's head. When the mercenary fell limp in his hands, Falric let the body go and grabbed his sword which was planted firmly on the ground beside him. The Captain then turned to Arthas.

"We're thinning them out, my Lord. But I still haven't seen the one giving them orders. Perhaps the coward fled."

"No." Arthas replied with a shake of his head "He's here. Just not in the front lines."

"My Lord."

The two turned to the voice as one of Alicia's Knights run towards them, the expression on her face made Arthas worry.

"It's Lady Alicia. She... "

"What happened, Knight?" Arthas demanded. His tone hard.

"She was almost killed, my Lord. A mercenary tried to rape her before deciding to kill her instead. Lady Alicia managed to kill the man but... "

"Where is she?"

"She's with Lady Proudmoore. I'll I'll take you to her, my Lord."

Arthas nodded before turning to Falric "Finish this. No prisoners. No mercy."

"It will be done, my Lord." The Captain nodded before running to the battle.

Arthas watched him go before following after the Knight. They passed by the dead bodies of Lordaeron and Black Dogs troops. Though, the number of Lordaeronian bodies were scarce and others were simply sounded. They reached a cavalry circle and a horse parted to let the Prince in. Arthas was greeted with the sight of Jaina and Alicia on the ground. The younger girl was asleep in the Archmage's arms.

Jaina, who had her hood down, looked up at him. Arthas knelt down and brought a hand on the Princess' shoulder before looking at Jaina "Will she be alright?"

"I don't know. She was so close to getting raped, Arthas. That's not something she'll easily forget. She's still young. Barely in her twenties. All we can do is be there for her."

Arthas grit his teeth in anger as his eyes landed on the dead mercenary. He looked back to the same Knight that called him. A redhead with brown eyes.

"Get Alicia back to the castle. Now!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

Arthas gently took the sleeping girl in his arms and placed her on the horse's saddle. The Knight mounted as well and secured the Princess before riding off towards the castle. The Prince watched them go before turning to the battlefield. Their forces were pushing back the Black Dogs into a retreat. The Knights sheathed their swords and took out their Hand Cannons. A Knight with neck length, faded purple hair took command of the cavalry and began a charge on the retreating Black Dogs. Their aimed their Hand Cannons and fired as soon as they were close enough before tramping over the other mercenaries.

The routed mercenaries were separated into two. One half made it to the outer gate only for the Riflemen there come out from their cover and open fire on them. The other half was encircled by a shield wall that was slowly closing in, cutting down the mercenaries until there was none left. Seeing the Black Dogs run, Valerius and his Footmen gave chase. Firing their Hand Cannons at the backs of the mercenaries. They would've followed after them if not for the fallen trees blocking them from reaching the Black Dogs.

Valerius cursed as he saw the mercenaries retreat to safety. He then spotted a brown haired man in an open, green vest and blue pants. The man was standing on top of a rock and was sneering at him. The Captain narrowed his eyes before grabbing a Lordaeron spear on the ground. He dropped his shield and inhaled as he reared the spear back. He exhaled the same time he threw the spear.

The man on the rock turned to run but the spear managed to embed itself on the man's right thigh. He screamed in pain before falling off the rock. Two mercenaries ran to his side and dragged him away.

"Damn, I missed." He then pointed at the fallen trees blocking the path "Come on. Let's get these off the road."

The Footmen pushed the trees away, clearing the path just in time for the Knights cavalry to arrive.

"Captain Valerius." The purple haired Knight called out "Can your men still fight? We plan to lead one final attack against theirs encampment."

The Captain looked at his men and saw their tired faces but they looked back at him and knew they will not rest 'til the Black Dogs are slain and the prisoners freed. He stared back at the Knight and nodded.

"We will fight."

~Line Break~

Hicks screamed in pain as the spear was removed from his thigh. Fuck that son of a bitch! He's gonna make that bastard pay. Volt's gonna-

'Shit!' He cursed internally 'Volt's not gonna be happy with this.'

"Boss, we're gonna patch you up now. This'll hurt."

Hicks sneered at the mercenary and grabbed him by the collar "You think I don't know that? Just fucking do it!"

The mercenaries around him were getting worried. Hicks never loses his cool. They waited in silence as the medic tended to their Boss' wounds. A few moments later, Hicks walked out of the tent and stomped towards the horses. He struggled to climb the saddle but he managed. He looked down on the mercenaries.

"Pack everything up, we're outta here."

"Got it, Boss."

And with that, Hicks left to tell Volt about the bad news. Honestly, he wasn't feeling so confident about doing that. Unfortunately and Fortunately for him, he didn't hear the screams of his men as they were slain one by one. He was lucky that he was already a distance away and was saved from that slaughter.

~Line Break~

Valerius sighed as he sat down on a tree stump. All across the encampment, dead mercenaries littered the very ground they walked upon. The fight was quick. Most of the Black Dogs were packing up and were caught unaware by the Knights cavalry charge. Add to the fact the Knights were equipped with Hand Cannons before switching to their blades to strike down the mercenaries. Him and his Footmen tool the brunt of the enemy's force while the Knights made hit-and-runs on the Black Dogs' flanks. Luckily, no one was killed. Injured, yes, but nothing fatal.

'Just a flesh wound.' One Footman told him and he believed it. He looked over to the Knights and saw them taking whatever they could find to cover up the liberated prisoners. He would've offered his cape but he had already given it to a prisoner on the first attack.

"Are you well, Captain?"

Valerius looked to the speaker and saw the same purple-haired Knight from before. She handed him a waterskin and he nodded his thanks.

"I'm fine, Fair Knight. I'm just tired is all. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Eve, Captain."

"You have my thanks, Eve." He drank the waterskin and savored the feeling of cool water running down his dry throat "Ah. That hit the spot."

He handed the waterskin back and the Knight felt that it was almost empty. The Captain chuckled sheepishly before standing up.

"That's enough rest for me. Let the prisoners ride the horses. You Knights help them up. It's gonna be a long and slow walk back to Feoh, Knight Eve. I just hope you have the legs for it."

Valerius' gaze found itself along a path that to a cliff side where he could see a tent larger than the others. If he had to guess, that must be where this army's leader stayed in. He was accompanied by Matthias and Eve as they made their way there. The three walked to the cliff side, passing by smaller tents and freeing the prisoners chained to wooden posts. They made it to the large tent and Valerius entered first.

There was a weapons rack to the left, a large bed farther in and some barrels of what he assumed was ale. His eyes then caught sight of the limp form of a woman on the table in the center. He moved towards her and saw that she was covered head to toe with semen. He would've thought her dead if the woman didn't slowly look up at him with faded, dull eyes. She struggled to say something but all that came out were gasps of air as semen leaked out the side of her mouth.

"By the Light."

He looked over his shoulder to see Matthias and Eve had entered the tent. Eve looked at the woman with wide eyes, he hands covering her mouth. Matthias looked on with shock, frozen in place. He had seen the state of the prisoners from before and now but this one was worse than any of them. She was lying on her back in a puddle of semen on the table. Liquids leaked out from her womanhood and arse. Her whole body covered in the same liquid.

"Matthias." The call of his Captain snapped the Sergeant from his frozen state "Find something to clean her with. A bucket of water and a cloth. Anything!"

"Yes, sir."

The Footman set about in finding what he could inside the tent. Valerius then turned his eyes to Eve.

"Knight Eve, help me with her."

Matthias returned to them with a bucket and a cloth. Together, the three helped the young woman up and sat her down on s chair. They then proceeded to clean her up. She didn't say anything. Didn't utter a word. She simply stared blankly at the ground.

'How many times do I have to see this? The carnage the Black Dogs leave.'

~Line Break~

Celestine and Olga looked around them as Footmen dragged and piled the bodies of the Black Dogs before burning them. Smoke filled the afternoon sky as piles and piles of bodies were burned. The Goddess looked to her right and saw the bodies of the Lordaeron's and Feoh's soldiers were gently carried away while Lordaeron's High-Elven Priests blessed them with the Light. She didn't know what happened, all she knew was that Alicia was brought back to her room near the battle's end and had stayed there the whole time. A little while later, Prince Menethil and Lady Proudmoore entered Alicia's room. Celestine wanted to go in and find out what happened but chose not to and decided to see the end result of the battle. She wished she didn't.

During the years she fought against Olga, not once did she had to see the aftermath of a battle in person. Most of it were simply reported to her. Olga, on the other hand, was indifferent. It was war. She knew the cost. But she didn't care. These were not her people. Not the ones she was willing to give her life to protect. They can burn for all she care. The two spotted Captain Falric hold a parchment and shook his head. With their elven ears, they could hear him muttering to himself from where they stood.

"...nearly 3,000 Black Dogs dead at the cost of 200 good men and women add thirty plus from Valerius' preemptive strike and the ones lost at the field... Damn you, Volt. We were already shorthanded as it is. At least the people are safe."

Celestine's ears dropped as she sadly looked at the ground. If this was just the beginnings of Volt's conquest of Eostia, how many more lives will be taken before this war ends?

"Captain, look."

Falric looked up from the parchment and saw a Footman pointing towards the Outer Gate. The first to enter were the horses, women with mismatched clothing that were too big for them. They were soon followed by the Knights and Footmen. He spotted Valerius and the other Captain made his way towards him.

"How many?" Valerius asked.

Falric simply handed him the parchment and the Captain sighed at the numbers.

"Damn it." Valerius cursed "Where is the Prince?"

"Lady Alicia's room. Along with Lady Proudmoore. One of the Knights told me of how the Princess came so close to being raped and killed." He shook his head in disgust "The bastard was willing to rape her in the middle of a battle. These Dogs worse than I thought."

"You have no idea."

The two watched as the liberated prisoners were reunited with friends and family. The Knights brought their horses to the stables before helping reunite the prisoners with their loved ones.

"Do you ever wonder... " Valerius began "What would happen if the Undead came with us or the Horde?"

"I tend not to Valerius. This war with the Dogs is bad enough. I'd rather not think about fighting the living dead and the big, green bastards while fighting these mercenaries."

"Good point. There's one thing I miss about the Horde."

"And what is that?" Falric asked. Curious to what the other Captain would find appealing to the Orcs.

"When you fight them, you fight them. They don't bring the dead back to life or turn women into sex slaves. Strange as it is, the greenskins have Honor... or at least most of them." Valerius stared blankly into nowhere as he remembered the first time he met an Orc more honorable than some of the people he met and served with.

~Flashback~

"Why did you help them? Why did you set those villagers free?"

Valerius can't believe he was talking to an Orc without the two of them trying to kill each other. The same can be said for the Footmen with him. As much as they hated Orcs, their Captain ordered to stay their blades. It had been three days since the villagers were freed from a group of deranged cultists and so far, there have been no accidents. They had made camp yesterday and today was the day they would part ways with the Orcs. The black armored Orc, who was about to mount his Dire Wolf, stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"There is no Honor in letting innocents be slaughtered when you have the power to stop it. Make no mistake. We did not do this for your Alliance. I interfered because I can't, in good conscience, allow such fate to befall on others even if they are Human, especially to one so young."

They were interrupted when a young, golden haired child made her way to the Orc. The young girl fidgeted before handing out a small doll that was made of straw and painted green to the Orc. Said greenskin knelt down and gently accepted the gift.

"Thank you, young one. What is your name?"

"Teri."

The girls smiled brightly at the Orc. Valerius noticed a small flicker of something flash in the eyes of the Orc before it was gone. The Orc smiled down at the beaming child, surprisingly not scaring her when his teeth bared, and patted her head with his gigantic hand. The child giggled and held on to the Orc's hand, her own set of hands tiny compared to his.

Valerius didn't know what to think after seeing that. When he started as a Footman, they drilled this little thing in his mind. 'Grab your sword and fight the Horde.' It stuck with him for a long time. Even when he became a Captain. They told him Orcs were evil. They will kill innocent people and boast about it. They cannot be reasoned with. The only action you'll take is to kill them. His training told him to do so when they first met but his gut instinct told him otherwise. His gut was right.

"What about you, mister Orc?"

"Thrall. My name is Thrall. Warchief of the Horde."

~Flashback End~

Valerius was snapped out of his reminiscing when Falric shook his shoulder. The Captain looked to him and gestured to the city.

"Come on, it's time to return. We still have to give our reports to the Prince."

"You're right." Valerius nodded "Let's go."

"Captains."

The two looked to the speaker and saw Ladies Celestine and Olga approaching them. The High-Elf smiled kindly at the two as they bowed their heads in greeting.

"Can you escort us back to the castle? We wish to talk to Prince Menethil and Lady Proudmoore."

"Of course."

~Line Break~

As the quartet made their way to the city, Celestine decided to ask a few questions.

"Captain Falric, what kind of person is Prince Arthas?"

The Captain looked at her with a raised brow before indulging her question "What kind of person is his Highness? Well, he is many things. A man of action, if you will, Lady Celestine. Brave, impulsive and straightforward. A born leader and easygoing with those under his command and around him. The people of Lordaeron love him. Soldiers idolize him. It is considered an honor to fight by his side."

"Hmm. What of his relationship to Lady Proudmoore?"

Olga chuckled in the guise of a cough but the High-Elf heard it and a small bit of pink dusted her cheeks. The Captain looked away nervously as he cleared his throat.

"That... is a little too personal, Lady Celestine. What I can say is that Prince Arthas and Lady Proudmoore were close, very close, back then. They still are today. F-Forgive me but that is all I can say."

Beside Olga, Valerius was glad he wasn't Falric. Things like that were definitely not his forte. After all, most of the stories he heard about Prince Arthas and Lady Proudmoore were rumors from the markets. He wouldn't trust those rumors. Last time he did, he thought he would win a new house after helping clean up the town's stables and barns. Unfortunately, when he finished, he didn't win a house. He won a mouse. Why? Why the hell did the town use that as a prize? At the end of the day, he realized that he was the only one cleaning the stables and barns. Well, at least Mr. Chucky was living the life. Being constantly spoiled by his neighbor's daughter.

Celestine slightly puffed out her cheeks and stopped asking questions. Olga, on the other hand, had a few of her own.

"Does Prince Menethil care for his people?"

Falric's answer was immediate.

"He loves his people. He would do anything for them if it meant their safety is assured. Before we came to this land, Lordaeron was struck with a plague. A plague of Undeath."

'A plague of Undeath? Necromancy, perhaps.' Olga thought as she nodded for the Captain to continue.

"Those infected with the plague were soon turned into crazed, monsters. Ghouls. Prince Arthas loathes himself every time he saw his people turn into one of those things and was forced to kill them. Add to the fact that there's the Necromancer that we suspect brought this plague to the land and Orcs summoning demons by using human sacrifices. The death of his people weigh heavily on him, Lady Discordia. Years of soldiering taught me that failure and guilt can break one's mind. Twisting them into something they're not." The Captain's eyes shadowed over "I fear that... Prince Arthas might be twisted in a way. I have a feeling that, no, I know that Prince Arthas blames himself for the deaths of his people and drowns himself in sorrow and anger. As much as we want to help him, we are not the right person to."

"So you are saying his self-loathing may push him over the edge. Push him into doing something he wouldn't normally consider unless someone talks him out of it?" Olga asked with narrowed eyes. That monster cannot, MUST NOT, be unleashed on Eostia. The land would never survive such an encounter. Falric was about to reply but Valerius beat him to it.

"If push comes to shove, yes. The Prince will do something drastic. Like Falric said. Prince Arthas is brave but he's also impulsive. It would do well to remember that."

~Line Break~

"How is she?"

Arthas and Jaina looked up from the bed as Prim entered the room. The two were currently sitting beside Alicia, flanking her both sides as they had an arm each around Princess Knight. It was surprising that they managed to fit in the bed with how large Arthas was. Thankfully, Arthas left his shoulder armor in his room.

"Still asleep." Jaina sighed "The Priests can heal wounds of the body but not the mind. Only Alicia can heal her own mind."

"But that doesn't mean she can't have s little help along the way." Arthas added.

Prim nodded before moving to sit near Jaina's side of the bed. She gently grabbed hold of Alicia's hand and squeezed. A little while later did the pinkette lay her head on her cousin's lap before falling asleep. Soon the adults followed suit. Blissfully unaware of the world around them. Not hearing the sounds of knocking on the door.

"My Lord, you-"

Falric stopped halfway from opening the door when he saw the four. He muttered a quick apology and quietly shut the door. He let out a breath before turning around, finding his companions give him varying looks. Celestine was giving him a curious look with a slight tilt of her head. Olga had a raised brow and crossed arms while giving him a look that said she was expecting an answer on why they were still outside. Valerius had a tired look about him. His eyes were slowly closing but the Captain tried to keep it open every time it was starting to shut completely.

"I'm afraid you'll have to schedule for another time, your Highnesses. The Prince and Lady Proudmoore are currently resting. The battle was hard on all of us. I believe everyone needs to rest for the day. If you'll excuse me."

The Captain bowed before leaving for the Barracks. Valerius yawned before bidding them farewell and following after his fellow Captain. The two Elves were left to their own devices in the corridor. Celestine looked at the the door. Olga saw this and shook her head.

"Don't even think about it."

Celestine placed her hands behind her back as the Dark Queen glared at her. The High-Elf whistled as she slowly, inch by inch, moved to the door. Olga felt her brow twitch annoyance.

"You know I can see you shuffle right. And whistling like it's nothing isn't helping your case either."

Celestine stopped whistling and continued to move towards the door. Olga rolled her eyes at the High-Elf's childishness. For goodness sake, they were at least several centuries old. She sighed and walked over to Celestine who had bent over and was silently opening the door. Olga couldn't help but let her eyes wander towards the bent over High-Elf and found herself unwillingly smile.

'Wow. No underwear.'

Her eyes widened before shaking her head furiously, trying to shake away those thoughts. She then heard Celestine gasp and the Dark Elf found herself peeking to the room as well.

"Maybe we should reschedule for tomorrow, yes?" The High-Elf suggested.

"Agreed."

~Line Break~

On the top a mountain that overlooked Feoh, a lone robed man with a staff looked down at the land. His eyes staring directly at the castle in the city.

"The path which you now take, young Prince, has saved you from a fate worse than death. But your future here is... uncertain. What does it hold for you, Arthas?"

He looked farther away and into the direction of the city of Thorn. A distance away. A purple beam of light cast down from the heavens.

"Another one? Hmm." He looked to the sky where a gigantic shadow flew above the skies, emitting purple lightning as it soared.

"What are your plans for them... Realm Lord?"


	4. Might of Lordaeron Ch 4

~One Month After The Siege of Feoh~

"Everything's back to normal, my Lord." Captain Falric reported "Farmers are back in their fields. The outer gate is repaired and reinforced by the Dwarves. No sign of Black Dogs within our borders, the Dwarves' progress on the Flying Machine is still a bit slow, our veteran Footmen had been given Steel forged swords and shields, the Rifles have been growing in number as of late and thankfully not as much of drunkards like the Dwarven Riflemen. Lady Lucross sends her thanks for the battalion of Footmen and Rifles sent to reinforce Mercenary Queen Maia and Rad. She will be sending another batch of supplies by next week. All in all, just another Monday. Prince Arthas."

"Thank you, Falric. You are dismissed."

The Captain bowed before leaving the room. Once the door closed, Arthas sighed. It's been a month since the siege and everything was quiet on Feoh's end. The people were starting to return to their normal lives. But even so, the soldiers remained vigilant. They swore that they will fight to the last man if Volt decided to keep up his attacks on Feoh. Aside from that, there have been a number of citizens, young and old, showing potential in the Arcane. Jaina proposed to start a school to help these individuals control their magic and Arthas approved. There were some who eagerly wanted to learn more about magic while others were a bit reluctant, afraid of the power they wield. Arthas idly wondered how many titles Jaina would hold now that she's also the Headmaster of Feoh's Magi Academy.

The Kul'Tirans had already started addressing her as 'Lord Admiral Proudmoore' despite the war having no need of a navy nor did it ever had any naval warfare to begin with. If the soldiers of Lordaeron revere Arthas as a king, the soldiers of Kul'Tiras did the same to Jaina. They even had the city's finest tailors to make the Archmage a new wardrobe fit for a leader of Kul'Tiras (A/N: I don't know how and I'm too lazy to describe it but her new set of clothes are the one's she wear in Battle for Azeroth. That's it.) Remembering her new wardrobe reminded him of his current state of undress. He had forgone his armor and tunic and was wearing only his pants and boots. Even the open widow didn't give much air in this hot and sunny afternoon. Anyways, even the citizens of Feoh see them as King and Queen. Well, according to what Falric said at least.

'Hmm. King Arthas seem to roll off the tongue quite nicely, doesn't it?' His thoughts were interrupted when the door to his study opened.

"Are you thinking about everyone calling you 'King Arthas' again?"

Jaina closed the door behind her and leaned on the bookshelf beside the doorway. Her arms crossed with an amused look about her as she stared at the half-naked Prince. Her eyes taking in the sight as she remembered their little trysts back before their relationship ended.

"Good Afternoon to you too, Jaina. Oh!" Arthas adopted a shocked look before rising from the chair and giving Jaina an over exaggerated bow "Forgive me, your Grace. I meant to say, Lord Admiral Proudmoore."

Jaina snorted and walked over to the Prince before slapping him on the back of the head "Oh, shut up. I'm fine with Lady Jaina or Lady Proudmoore but Lord Admiral?" She shook her head "I'm not my father."

Arthas noticed her eyes and tone at the thought of her father. Her family. He knew she missed them. He missed his family too. Father and Calia. Hell, he missed Uther and his incessant nagging. They had tried to find a way back. They even asked the Goddess Incarnate if there was some way she could return them to their home but the High-Elf held no answers for them. The same could be said about the Dark Queen. When they described it to her, she said she was unfamiliar with such a thing. Soon, they stopped and focused on helping Feoh and their respective Kingdoms survive the war with the Black Dogs. They told themselves that they haven't given up yet but it still didn't hurt to have a fallout plan in case they really can't return to their home. The Prince brought a hand to her shoulder and let out a smile.

"It's alright, Jaina. We'll see them again. Someday."

She looked up at him before grabbing the hand on her shoulder "Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it."

"Sorry to disappoint you but I intend to keep mine."

Jaina stood on her toes and the two shared a kiss. It had been a long time since they've last done this but doing it now, it felt surreal. Like the first time they did it. The two held each other closer. Jaina pushed Arthas on the desk, making the Prince sit on top of it. The Archmage then straddled the Prince and their hands began to explore each others bodies as their lips locked once more. So lost in their own little world that they failed to hear the door open as Prim entered the room.

"Prince Arthas, have your seen Lady Jai- eep!"

The two pulled back as they saw the flustered pinkette who was covering her eyes with her palms but they could clearly see her peeking through her fingers. The two swore they saw steam come out the young girl's ears as her face glowed red from embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were in the middle of s-something!" Prim stuttered out "I-I'll just be on my way. Sorry to disturb you!"

The girl disappeared so fast that they thought she had gained the ability to Teleport. The only thing that told them she didn't was the smoke outlined in the shape of the pinkette and the sounds of running feet down the corridor. The two shared a look and a laugh before Arthas locked the door. He walked back to Jaina and picked her up and sitting her down on the table. His hand went to her belt as he looked at her with a boyish grin.

"Where were we?"

His answer was in the form of Jaina's lips enveloping his and her hand pulling on his hair.

~Line Break~

"Damn it, my back's killing me. I'm too old for this crap."

"How old are you again, Valerius?"

"Thirty-eight, Falric."

"And you think you're too old for a little manual labor? When my father was nearing his sixties, he could still lift crates twice as heavy as these."

"We're Footmen, Falric. Life expectancy is a little short for us nowadays. We're lucky that we lasted this long."

The two Captains were currently helping the Workers set down crates of food and supplies. It wasn't their job and they weren't obligated to do so but two Workers got into an accident and the two decided to help the others out of sheer boredom. Along the way, they were joined by Joan. Unfortunately for them, she wasn't there to help with the crates but rather she was there to check the contents of the crates. Valerius sighed in relief as he lowered the last crate on the ground.

"Light, why did I agree to do this?"

"I think the question is why did I agree to this? You were the one who suggested to help them." Falric retorted.

"Both of you are so childish." The Paladin called out as she held a large crate on her shoulder as if it were nothing "Look at me. Eighty-seven and still strong enough to lift this one."

"That's because you're a damn Half-Elf, woman. You age slower than we do. What I don't understand is how you can lift that weapon of yours as if it was nothing? The Prince can wield his because of the muscle he developed over the years. You, on the other, look like you work out but barely. What's your secret, Jo?"

"I'm not telling, Old Man."

Falric shook his head as he sat on a crate and took a drink from his waterskin. Another boring day, another boring week. Sure he liked the peace they have after the Siege but he was a soldier. As loath as he was to admit, he felt like an Orc. He needed something to fight.

"Captain Falric."

The Captain looked to the speaker and saw one of Lady Alicia's Knights, Eve, approach him.

"Good Afternoon, Fair Knight. Is there something you need?"

"Yes there is, Captain. New refugees are seen heading for the Outer Gate. I wanted to inform you just in case."

"Thank you, Dame Eve." Falric nodded before leaving with the Knight, intent on ignoring the bickering duo behind him. Eve walked beside him, still a little unused to the weight of her new armor even when a month had passed since she received them. Her, along with others from Alicia's personal guards, were trained like the Knights of Lordaeron. More were chosen but the majority of Feoh's Knights were female. Trained to be the symbol of respect and honor. Devoted to the people and justice. They were taught to 'Live with Honor, Die with Glory'. All these teachings were taken into heart.

The two reached the Outer Gate and climbed up the wall. Once there, a dwarf handed the two spyglasses for them to see afar. Falric looked through the scope and saw the convoy of refugees.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary." Eve commented.

"Hmm. Maybe."

He kept observing the refugees and his eye landed on a cart that carried five, hooded figures and, what he presumed to be, a dead body under a large, sky blue cloak. What really stood out to him were their bows and armor. Something about the design poked something in the back of his mind. He felt like he had seen those before. It was then did he realize that there were long ears sticking out of their hoods.

'It can't be.' He thought in disbelief.

When the refugees reached the gate, the five hooded figures moved past the refugees and looked up at the Captain. There was no doubt about it. The Elf that stared back at him was none other than Ranger-General of Silvermoon, Sylvanas Windrunner.

~Line Break~

Sylvanas looked at the city around her as she and her group were escorted by Captain Falric to the Feoh's Castle. Every building she saw had the banners of Lordaeron and the Alliance. She saw some Dwarves coming out of an inn drunk. Last time Sylvanas checked, it was only midday. They passed by a square and saw some children playing with wooden swords and armor. A little boy, who wore a helmet too big for him and covered his eyes, ran into Sylvanas and fell to his butt whole leaving the Ranger-General unfazed. The boy struggled to get the helmet off, making the corner of Sylvanas' lips twitch upwards. She knelt down and gently pulled the helmet free from the boy's head.

The boy looked around as if noticing he was not where his friends were and saw the High-Elf looking down on him. His helmet in her hands. He would've yelled at her to give it back but stopped as he gazed at her face.

"Pretty."

This statement made one of Sylvanas' Rangers, Anya, chuckle under her breath before feeling the Ranger-General's slight glare at her. Sylvanas huffed before placing the helmet back on the boy's head.

"Here you go, boy. A good soldier knows that a helmet is just as important as his sword and shield."

The boy stared gratefully at her before doing something none of them expected. The boy ran to Sylvanas and hugged her. The Ranger-General's eyes widened at the sudden contact but didn't push the boy off her. The boy looked up at her with cute, baby blue eyes.

"Will you be my mommy?"

Anya couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud. Two of the Rangers joined in but had one hand over their mouths. The last Ranger didn't laugh but had a small smile in her face. Sylvanas looked at the boy and was about to reply when someone called for him.

"Arthur. Where are you dear?"

The boy perked up and jumped off Sylvanas' arms and ran to the young nun. The boy nearly tripped over his own two feet before stopping in front of the nun. She scooped him up in her arms and twirled. Sylvanas watched them before Falric moved beside her.

"Arthur. A good lad but behind that smile lies a boy yearning for the love of a mother and father."

"Does his family not want him?"

"No, my Lady. It's not that. The boy's father was a soldier. That's his helmet on top of the boy's head. Before we came to live in Feoh, the city was under attack by an army of men and monsters. One of the soldier's defending the city was Arthur's father. Some of the city guards told me that he gave the boy his helmet before running to battle the Dogs. Unfortunately, he died."

"And the mother?"

Falric sighed and shook his head "The mother, a young lady barely past her twenties, stayed in the house and his the boy under the bed. The mercenaries entered the house and... defiled her. When we came in and slain the Dogs, we were too late. The mother lay naked on the kitchen table with her throat slit. I found the boy holding a necklace that belonged to the mother. No child should ever had to witness such a thing. There were no other relatives when we asked and we decided to give him to the orphanage. The boy repressed his memories and is set in finding someone to adopt him. He acknowledges his father's death but any mention of his mother, Arthur ignores it." He looked at Arthur and the nun as the two walked back to the orphanage hand in hand "The boy wants to be a soldier when he comes of age. If I'm still alive when that time comes, I'll personally train him."

"If you're still alive, Captain?" Sylvanas asked with a raised eyebrow."

"I'm a Footman, my Lady. We're expected to die at some point. Getting pass our thirties, let alone twenties is a blessing and a curse. A blessing that you lived this long and a curse because you will always think that your death can come any day now. The only thing we can do is to find a good place to die. The lousy pay doesn't help either." He muttered the last part under his breath before resuming the journey to the Castle.

They entered the Castle and was led through the castle grounds, where Knights and Rifles were being trained. Sylvanas was mildly curious at seeing Human women among the ranks of the Dwarven Riflemen. They wore cloaks similar to the Riflemen but tailored for humans. Same scale armor, or leather armor, over chainmail. One dwarf was standing on top of two crates and holding out his weapon in front of rows of Riflemen and women.

"This is my Blunderbuss. There are many like it but this one is mine."

"THIS IS MY BLUNDERBUSS. THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE IS MINE."

Sylvanas shook her head before following the Captain. Once inside the Castle's halls, she noticed that all of the castle guards wore Kul'Tiran colors and symbols. Thinking back, she did see a sign that said Kul'Tiran district somewhere back in the city.

"We're here, Lady Windrunner."

She berated herself for being lost in thought and nodded to the Captain. He was about to knock on the door when it opened and revealed a disheveled Jaina Proudmoore. She saw Falric and her face took on a deep shade of red. Her eyes found themselves to Sylvanas and her eyes widened in shock. All of the embarrassment from earlier was gone.

"Lady Windrunner!?"

"Lady Proudmoore." She replied flatly. In didn't take a genius to know what happened. She shook her head. Honestly, she didn't like being the one to break the news to the Prince and Proudmoore but someone has to do it.

"There is something important I have to tell you. It concerns the state of the Seven Kingdoms."

Jaina's eyes narrowed and nodded her to come in. She turned to Falric and said "Guard this room, understand?"

"Yes, my Lady."

Falric stood to the side in attention. It was there did the rest of the Rangers came around the corner, lifting a large stretcher with a body covered in a sky blue cloak. Jaina looked at the covered body and felt a chill run down her spine.

'I have a bad feeling about this.' She thought as they entered the room and was met by Arthas. The Prince looked at them with a raised eyebrow before his eyes widened at the sight of Sylvanas.

"Prince Arthas." The Ranger-General began "I bring ill tidings from Azeroth."

"What happened back home, Lady Windrunner?" Arthas asked. His tone of voice hard and his eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry to say this but... Lordaeron is no more."

"What!?" Arthas jumped to his feet and moved towards Sylvanas "What the hell do you mean Lordaeron is no more?"

"It is as I said. Lordaeron has fallen. The Undead had ravaged the land and left Capital City in ruins." She replied with a straight face as the Prince stared down at her with fury in his eyes.

"How did this happen!? Where was Uther? How did he let this happen, dammit!?"

"Lord Uther... is dead."

"What?" Arthas and Jaina simultaneously asked in disbelief. Jaina could not believe what she just heard. Uther the Lightbringer. The First Paladin. Dead. She looked at Arthas whose eyes slowly made it's way to the stretcher the Rangers were holding. He walked over to it and reached a shaking hand at the cloak before pulling it away, revealing the peaceful face of Uther the Lightbringer.

Jaina walked over and gasped at the sight of Uther's body. He could've been mistaken for sleeping if it weren't for the fact that his chest did not rise and fall. She looked over at Arthas and saw him clench his fist. She moved to wrap her hand around his but he cut her off.

"What about my father?" He asked. Voice hollow.

"He is dead. His body was sent to Stormwind for a proper burial. He died holding off the Undead as Capital City was evacuated. The survivors of Lordaeron sailed west, to the lands of Kalimdor. The one who leads them is your sister, Calia Menethil, or so Lord Uther told me."

"No... It can't be true..."

~Line Break~

"No... It can't be true..."

Arthas fell to his knees in despair. He had failed them. His people, his mentor, his father, everyone. He had failed them all. Why? What had they done to deserve this cruel fate. Jaina knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. Sylvanas saw that they needed the space and ordered her Rangers to stay outside. She looked at the couple one last time before heading out and closing the door. Guess they'll have to wait a little while before telling them the rest of the news.

As soon as they were gone, Arthas finally let the tears fall. Jaina stayed silent as she hugged the man she loves. She felt tears of her own run down her face. When she and Arthas met and became friends, soon lovers, Lordaeron felt like a second home to her. She knew the land, the city, even some of the people. To hear that it was ravaged by the Undead they were tasked to stop. She could feel her heart break. But she knew what she was feeling was nothing compared to what Arthas feels. To hear that his kingdom had fallen by the Undead that he could've stopped was like a stab to the heart. But not only that, to be told that the mentor you considered as family and your father were slain by the very Undead you were supposed to stop. It felt like nothing was left to live for.

Arthas loathed himself right now. How could he save the remainder of his people if he wasn't even their to help them? How can he help Calia when he was trapped in another world? Who knows what she and the people of Lordaeron will find in this Kalimdor? How can he protect Feoh when he couldn't do anything for his people? How could he protect Prim, Alicia... Jaina?

"Jaina..." A second later, he felt the arms wrapped around him tighten "Am I worthy to protect Feoh? To fight this war and lead an army when I couldn't even protect my people? My family? How can I protect this place, a place we helped rebuild? How can I protect these people? Prim? Alicia? You? I'm weak. I don't deserve to lead nor rule."

"Oh, Arthas."

She looked into his blue green eyes and brought a hand to his cheek "You are worthy. You are strong. A little reckless but you are not weak. Don't ever say that you are weak. If you were weak and unworthy, Feoh would've been raped and pillaged by the Black Dogs. Alicia and Prim wouldn't be here right now. WE wouldn't be here right now. Don't you see? Feoh had withstand two attacks by the Black Dogs, who outnumbered us, and sent them away with their tails between their legs. Because of your strength and leadership, the people of Feoh stood strong and found their own strength. They fought and bled in the second battle because they were inspired by you. Because of you, Feoh became a beacon of hope for the people the Black Dogs oppressed. They look to you as if you were a king. The people love you, Arthas. Your soldiers adore you. Your enemies fear you. You are not weak, Arthas. You are the Might of Lordaeron. Her sword and shield. Her guiding hand. Her protector. Don't ever forget that... my love."

She leaned in and met his lips. The kiss was innocent but deep. Arthas could feel himself growing lighter as if the Light had blessed him. He wrapped his arms around Jaina and deepened the kiss before slowly pulling apart. He smiled at Jaina and the Archmage returned it.

"Thank you, Jaina."

~Line Break~

A few minutes after their kiss, the two made themselves presentable and let the Ranger-General back in. Arthas wore a professional look as he sat down by his desk and stare at the High-Elf.

"I apologize for my earlier actions, Lady Windrunner."

"No apology necessary, Prince Arthas."

"Can you tell me what happened? How Uther and my father... died. How my kingdom fell."

"Very well." Sylvanas answered with a nod "Though I can only tell you the events when the Scourge had reached Capital City."

After failing to quarantine Stratholme, Uther returned to his organization to call for reinforcements. Without Uther, the Scourge gained a massive advantage and began overwhelming city after city, town after town, village after village until they reached Capital City. King Terenas knew that Lordaeron has fallen to the Undead. On that, the Prophet had returned to once more convince the King to travel to the lands of Kalimdor. Terenas agreed but chose to stay and hold off the Undead while Capital City was evacuated. Calia Menethil was chosen by the King to lead their people in his stead. Hundreds of ships left the continent of Lordaeron as the land was left burned by the army of Undead. Uther the Lightbringer rushed to Lordaeron's aid but was too late. By the time he reached Capital City, it was already overrun by the Scourge and the body of the King was left strung up outside the entrance of the city. The First Paladin was forced to retreat but not before taking Terenas' body with him and sent him to Stormwind to buried.

Uther and whatever was left of his army sought refuge in Quel'thalas. King Anasterian Sunstrider initially refused but was convinced by Sylvanas that the addition of more troops to defend Silvermoon City would benefit them. She had sent Nathanos and a company of Rangers to warn the other Kingdoms of the Scourge. She wasn't sure if a company's worth was enough for any encounters with the Undead. Since the fall of Lordaeron, they can only assume that their numbers bolstered. It was a week after he left did the Scourge marched to Silvermoon City's doorstep, led by a Dreadlord named Mal'Ganis. The Undead overwhelmed them with horrifying numbers. If they kill one, it would only be raised back from the dead. When their warriors fell, they were brought back to life as Undead and started fighting the very warriors they fought and bled with.

Uther and Sylvanas made a last stand at the Sunwell. They fought wave after wave of Undead until the Dreadlord, Mal'Ganis, confronted them himself. There the demon revealed the fate of Lordaeron's Prince had he not disappeared.

~Flashback~

"Such a pity the boy disappeared on us. He would've made a great Death Knight. Hehehehaha."

Uther felt unbridled rage within himself. The nerve of this demon to actually utter Arthas' name in his presence. The boy was like a family to him. To hear the plot this demon had in store for the boy made his blood boil. This nearly made the First Paladin charge at the demon recklessly but stopped himself. To do so would mean turning his back on the very teachings taught to him by Archbishop Alonsus and he would never let that happen. Not in this life or the next. Taking a calming breath and a silent prayer to the Light, he glared at the Dreadlord.

"Silence your tongue, demon."

The demon sneered at the Paladin. Who does this fool think he is?

"I grow tire of your inane babblings. This is where your Path of the Damned ends, demon."

Mal'Ganis smiled and laughed before staring at the Paladin as if he was nothing "And who shall stop me? You? An old man who lost the ones closest to him. If the boy hadn't disappeared, I would've gladly watched as he will be the one to cut you down. The moment the Master is slain by the Apprentice. It would've been so entertaining to watch. Don't you agree?"

The Dreadlord laughed but was stopped as he backhanded a Frost Enchanted arrow meant for his head. He glared at his attacker as the Ranger-General and the what's left of the Farstriders ran around him, pelting him with arrows. He growled but was forced to take a step back to avoid the hammer from crushing his abdomen.

Uther did not let his assault up. He had to keep this demon's eyes on him while the Rangers attack him from the distance. The Paladin quickly casted Divine Protection on himself before taking all the damage the demon dealt him. He blocked a deadly strike from the demon's claws before punching Mal'Ganis' armored abdomen with all his strength. The blow was enough to push the demon back.

Mal'Ganis roared in anger before sending a swarm of bats at the Paladin. He then put half of the Farstriders to sleep. The other half, along with Sylvanas kept firing arrows at the demon. The Ranger-General fired Cold Arrows at the demon before feeling the strain on her mana. One of the Farstriders pulled out a dagger and moved to strike the Dreadlord in the back only for Mal'Ganis to turn around and catch her by the neck. He growled before crushing the High-Elf's neck and throwing the body at another Ranger. The Ranger was pinned by her dead comrade and Mal'Ganis took the opportunity and lunged at the downed High-Elf. He threw the dead body away before grabbing the High-Elf by the shoulders. He roared in the sky and bit the Ranger on the neck.

Sylvanas cursed as her Farstriders were getting picked off. She nocked an arrow and aimed at the back of the demon's head when someone called out her name. She looked to the speaker and saw Anya running towards her, holding two bloody daggers in her hands.

"We failed to hold the Undead off. We had to fall back but Ghouls ambushed us on the way here. I'm the only one left."

Sylvanas' grip tightened around her bow before looking at Mal'Ganis and Uther fighting. The Dreadlord roared in pain as Holy Light shined down upon him. He fell to one knee and let the Paladin close before back handing towards a tree. She looked behind Anya and saw the army of Undead running towards. The Ranger-General closed her eyes before raising her hand to the sky.

"Thori'dal."

Light shined down on Sylvanas before stars fell from the sky and struck the army of Undead. Wave after wave of stars fell from the sky and decimated the Ghouls. Sylvanas would've kept the spell up if it weren't for the fact that her mana was almost gone. She felt the drain finally get to her and the Ranger-General fell to her knees in exhaustion. The few Farstriders left quickly formed a wall in front of the Ranger-General. Firing arrows at the oncoming army of Undead.

Mal'Ganis saw the weakened state of Sylvanas and he struck. Using his wings, he lunged faster towards the downed High-Elf and prepared to sink his claws around her neck. Fortunately, he was stopped by Uther. The Paladin reached Sylvanas just in time to take the hit for her. The force of the hit fell the Paladin to his knee. The Dreadlord stood over him and Uther swung his hammer upwards. The hammer connected to Mal'Ganis' chin and threw him back a few feet away. The fighting was finally taking toll on Uther and he couldn't even cast Holy Light upon Sylvanas to heal her. He glared back at the Dreadlord and hefted the hammer in his hands.

Mal'Ganis grabbed his jaw as he glared at Uther "I grow tired of this."

He raised his hand to the sky and the clouds parted as green balls of flame fell down in front of him. The burning rocks slowly began to merge until it formed a large Infernal.

"Kill them."

The Infernal charged at Uther and Sylvanas. The Farstriders that were caught in the sleep spell had woken up and attempted to stop the gigantic summon. Unfortunately, their arrows simply bounced off the Infernal. Some even tried to stop the beast with their daggers but were simply crushed by it.

Uther looked at the Infernal then at the advancing Undead before looking at Sylvanas "I'm afraid my time has come, Lady Sylvanas."

Sylvanas looked up at him and knew that he was right. There was no way they were getting out of this alive. She pulled out her necklace and stared at it one last time before closing her eyes.

'Alleria... I'm coming home. Vereesa, please be safe. Forgive me.'

She kissed the necklace before putting it away and grabbing her bow. Her eyes landed on the dead High-Elves and glared at the Infernal.

"Selama ashal'anore."

But before she could attack the Infernal, Uther charged the summon and jumped high in the air. He raised his hammer over his head, ready to strike down the Infernal. She could see the Light shine down upon the Paladin. Her eyes widened as his eyes seem to glow a golden light and an angelic materialized begin him, mirroring his movement.

"In Lightbringer's name, have at thee!"

The hammer connected with the Internal's head, quickly followed by a flash of light so bright that Mal'Ganis could feel it burn him. Sylvanas had to cover her eyes with her arm at the sheer amount of Light. When the blight died down, the Infernal was nothing chunks of destroyed rocks. Uther stood there, eyes glowing bright before it diminished. He was breathing heavily as he stared at his handiwork. He heard the screams of the Undead and turned towards Sylvanas. It wasn't over yet. They still had an army of Undead to finish. The Light was gone and the angelic figure disappeared. Uther felt exhausted but he will not rest until the Undead are slain or until he's dead. He was halfway to Sylvanas when the High-Elf nocked an arrow and fired above him.

"Behind you!"

Uther's eyes widened and he turned around to see Mal'Ganis had flesh to the air and was diving towards him. He tried to summon the Light once more but he was too exhausted. The Dreadlord roared and had his hand outstretched, claws ready to pierce through him. Uther closed his eyes and held his head high. He did not drop his hammer but he did not move to defend himself either.

"I am not afraid."

That was the last thing Uther said as Mal'Ganis' claws pierced through armor and to his heart. The Dreadlord laughed as he pulled his hand out and grabbed the body by the neck. He raised the body high for the Farstriders to see.

"Behold, Uther the Lightbringer. Dead by my hand. This is your fate, Elves, and your fate is sealed! Slay them all my pets!" He threw the body and the hammer at Sylvanas' feet. The High-Elf glared at such desecration and nocked her last arrow before aiming at the Dreadlord. She did not care that there were only four of her Farstriders were left and that they surrounded her, keeping the Undead away from her and Lord Uther's body.

"Bash'a no falor talah."

She loosed the Cold Arrow despite knowing it would do nothing. She closed her eyes and held her head high, not noticing the purple light shining down on them before she heard Anya point it out. She opened her eyes and saw the beam surrounding them before a bright flash of light then nothing.

When Mal'Ganis saw this, he sighed in frustration. Another beam of purple light, another one vanish without a trace. He was getting tired of those purple lights but he cares not for minor annoyances. He looked at the burning city around him then to the entrance of the Sunwell. If they can't have the Lordaeron Prince as a Death Knight, then they'll settle for this Prince instead. After all, he needs the Elf angry enough to jump at anything that he thinks will help end the Scourge. The Lich King will have his champion soon enough.

~Line Break~

"...ylvanas."

"...ake up!"

"LADY SYLVANAS!"

Sylvanas shot up and grabbed the owner of the voice by the neck, her other hand went directly for her dagger and raised to strike the voice down but realized it was Anya. She let the Ranger go before sheathing her blade. The Ranger helped her to her feet before observing her surroundings. Trees, trees and more trees. Her eyes soon found themselves on the still form of Uther the Lightbringer, his weapon lay beside him. They quickly gathered around his body, Sylvanas knelt down and observed his body. His eyes were closed and if it weren't for the large, gaping hole in his chest on where the heart should be, he would've looked like he was sleeping.

Sylvanas sighed before she ordered the Rangers to take off Uther's cloak and use it to cover his body up. After this, she sent one of the Rangers to scout ahead and find out where they were. When she came back, she told them of their dilemma and of the caravan headed to Feoh. A city ruled by Prince Arthas Menethil of Lordaeron, Lord Admiral Jaina Proudmoore of Kul'Tiras and Princess Knight Alicia of Feoh. After hearing this, the Farstriders knew what they must do.

~Flashback End~

"And so here we are." Sylvanas finished. Gesturing around her.

Arthas had his eyes closed as the Ranger-General reported to him what happened. Mal'Ganis. If they ever get back to Azeroth, he will go to the ends of the earth to avenge Uther, his father, his people. They will have their vengeance. But that is for another time. What concerns him now is that Sylvanas and the Farstriders are the only Quel'dorei they've encountered. Celestine may be a High-Elf but not their High-Elf. Celestine was a Goddess Incarnate and he was fairly sure that she can't fight like the Quel'dorei. Right now, Arthas wasn't sure what to do with them. Technically, Quel'thalas isn't part of the Alliance anymore. He would've given Sylvanas a position in their Council, which consisted of him, Jaina and Alicia, but...

'Oh, damn that. The Quel'dorei thought they were abandoned by the Alliance once. I'm not going to let them think that I'll do the same to them.'

"Ranger-General Sylvanas. The Alliance have abandoned you once. I swear on my life. If you join us, you will never be left behind anymore. Even if you decline, all off you are welcome to Feoh. You will never be without a home, even if it is on this world."

"...why?"

Arthas looked at Sylvanas with a determined look in his eyes.

"When Feoh was rebuilt, I welcomed everyone who were caught in the crossfire to this city. I will not turn away those in need if I can do something about it."

"We don't need your pity." Sylvanas retorted with bitterness.

"It's not pity, Lady Windrunner. Even if Quel'thalas is just next door, I will not hesitate to welcome you here. Not once did I turn away those refugees and I'll be damned before I turn anyone away when I can help in any way, shape or form. I stand for the Light."

Sylvanas looked down and contemplated her decision. From what she heard from Falric, Arthas and Jaina were considered by the people of Feoh, Lordaeron and Kul'Tiras as the King of Lordaeron and Queen of Kul'Tiras in all but title, in Eostia at least. Princess Alicia became less active in ruling Feoh after the incident during the siege a month ago. Princess Prim wasn't much for ruling and always had Alicia take the reins.

Honestly, the Second War left Quel'thalas bitter and so was Sylvanas but when Anasterian decided to secede from the Alliance, she was against it. She suggested they tolerate the Alliance rather than pull away from them but it was for naught. Maybe Arthas was right. Both their kingdoms made a mistake. This was an opportunity to make things right. She sighed and looked at Arthas.

"We're the only Farstriders and Quel'dorei that were taken here. In this world, WE are Quel'thalas now. In Azeroth, our people fought together once and we left on bitter terms. Now we have a chance to band together once more but this time, we will not make the same mistake our predecessors made. Quel'thalas stands with the Alliance. If Lordaeron needs aid, we will not hesitate to help." She finished with a nod of her head before holding out her bow.

Arthas returned the gesture with his own and held out Light's Vengeance over Sylvanas' weapon "And if Quel'thalas seeks aid, Lordaeron will answer."

"The same can be said for Kul'Tiras." Jaina finally spoke as she held out her staff "We will do everything within our power to help our allies in their time of need. Count on it."

"FOR THE ALLIANCE!"

~One Week Later~

Captain Falric watched the procession as Lord Uther's body was buried with highest honors. The people of Feoh don't know who Lord Uther was or his accomplishments but they knew he was important to Arthas and his burial ceremony was fit for a King. It was a day after Quel'thalas joined the Alliance did Arthas had a statue of Uther made by the First Paladin's soon-to-be grave and another in the park in front of the Church of Light cathedral. Even the district was renamed after Lord Uther. Lightbringer district. Everything that had to do with the Holy Light and any from of religion was in that district. At first, there was a conflict between the believers of the Holy Light and the Goddess but surprisingly, a High-Elven Priest was the one who convinced the people to set aside their differences and let others believe what they believe.

Elrothar Longlight was one of the Priests that they came upon in Brill. After arriving at Feoh and hearing of this Goddess Incarnated the High-Elven sought to learn more about their religion. When he was asked about his Faith, he still believes and prays in the Holy Light and he is no heretic for he still follows the Three Virtues. One, Respect. He acknowledges Faith the people of Feoh for what they believe in and honor their decision. Two, Tenacity. Even when faced with people who question his faith and paint him as a heretic for believing something else, he still stands true to his beliefs in the Light. Three, Compassion. He looks beyond the differences and understands the similarities of their Faith. Through this, he shows compassion and understanding of the people of Feoh's Faith to their Goddess.

It wasn't long until he convinced the people to understand each others' beliefs and the Church of Light was built with not one complaint. The district was named as One's Faith District but after hearing Arthas' request, Elrothar and the district were happy to do what their Prince says and changed the name to Lightbringer District. The people of Feoh care not for the name. They still believe in their Goddess but they respect the Church of Light's, and the Princes, wishes and did not complain. Besides, from what they heard the Paladin was a great and noble hero and mentor to their great Prince as well.

Falric was shaken from his thoughts as he heard the tomb shut. He looked around and saw the people begin to leave, the only ones who stayed behind were Prince Arthas, Lord Admiral Jaina, Princess Alicia, Princess Prim and Ranger-General Sylvanas. Arthas said words that Falric was too far away to here but caught a bit of the end when he was a few feet from them.

"...ou always said the everyone was flawed yet the Light loves us anyway. Maybe you're right, Old Man. I never would've gotten to where I am without you. Goodbye, Uther. And may the Light guide your path. Peace."

After that, the party turned to leave. They stopped by the Kul'Tiras District to visit Jaina's Academy. The Magi Academy wasn't as large as a Castle but it was like three Arcane Sanctums were combined to form one large campus. It was lucky that Lordaeron Workers work fast. They have expanded the city of Feoh and her borders to accommodate the city's slowly rising population and the new buildings being built around the city.

After their short visit, they stopped by the Farstrider District where Sylvanas bid them farewell. The Farstrider District was simply a newly built section of the city. It was made in case more refugees showed up and the other districts were getting overcrowded. The population of the district consisted of the Farstriders and Elven refugees. Sylvanas was against it at first but relented when she heard about the refugees' plight and her promise to aid the Alliance. The Prince was right when he said he would never turn away those in need and damn him for planting those thoughts in her head. They were Elves, sure, but they were not Quel'dorei. The only problem she had in the district were the fights erupting when the Dark Elves butt heads with the other Elves for the crimes committed by the Dark Elf Queen and her monsters. The Elves blame the crimes of the Dark Elf Queen on her people despite the fact that they had nothing to do with her. The Quel'dorei always had to step in and made sure that no such quarrels escalate to violence. She was so close to disciplining the Elves herself. If they don't pull themselves together and start getting used to living with each other or the very least tolerate one another, she was going to start putting the whole district under Ranger training and drill to these Elves' heads the value of working alongside one another.

They dropped off Sylvanas and made their way back to the Castle. When they reached the Castle grounds, Prim looked up at Arthas and asked "Who was Lord Uther, Prince Arthas? Was he a Knight?"

A sad smile adorned his face before he looked at Prim to answer her.

"He wasn't just a Knight, Prim. He was the First Paladin. In our world, the Knights of the Silver Hand was an organization founded by Archbishop Alonsus Faol and his apprentice, Uther, when an order of Clerics were decimated by the Horde in the First War. The Order was made to make sure that such a catastrophe would never happen again. The Order was composed of noble knights that were taught in the ways of the Light and Clerics that were taught in the ways of Combat. Uther was appointed by Archbishop Faol as the First Paladin and was followed by four more. Together, they formed the Silver Hand."

They had reached the Castle and Prim and Alicia wanted to hear more about the Knights of the Silver Hand. Arthas chuckled at their enthusiasm and told them he would continue it in his study. When they reached his study, he sat on his desk and picked up where he left off.

"Where was I? Ah, yes. When the Order was formed, their mission was to protect the weak and smite the wicked. They were a beacon of hope for the people and the soldiers. Seeing their prowess in battle and their unyielding faith to the Light inspired the troops to fight harder than ever. It was his show of prowess and faith earned Uther the title of 'Lightbringer'. It was after the Second War did the Order started training new paladins. I was lucky enough to be trained by the First Paladin, who I would be honored to call friend but in time as family. He was there to quell my doubts when I was inducted in the Silver Hand. To this day, I always kept what he said to heart."

"What was it?" Alicia asked.

""Lad, no one feels ready. No one feels he deserves it. And you know why? Because no onedoes. It's grace, pure and simple. We are inherently unworthy, simply because we'rehuman, and all human beings--aye, and elves, anddwarves, and all the other races--are flawed. But theLightloves us anyway. It loves us for what we sometimes can rise to in rare moments. It loves us for what we can do to help others. And it loves us because we can help it share its message by striving daily to be worthy, even though we understand that we can't ever truly become so. So stand theretoday, as I did, feeling that you can't possibly deserve it or ever be worthy, and know that you're in the same place every singlepaladin has ever stood. I'll never forget that. Even to my dying breath." Arthas ended as he closed his eyes and his thoughts went to his mentor.

Jaina saw this and looked at Alicia and Prim "I think it's time you get back to your studies, Prim. And I think the Knights are getting too lax without their Commander with them, don't you agree Alicia?"

Alicia nodded while dragging off Prim who still wanted to hear more stories from Azeroth. Jaina watched them go down the corridor with a smile before closing the door. She turned her gaze to Arthas form and her smile disappeared as she saw an apparition take his place for a brief moment. Instead of her golden-haired Prince, what sat in his place was a terrifying frost covered Knight. Underneath the menacing helmet were two glowing, blue eyes. Where Light's Vengeance sat on Arthas' side was now replaced by a glowing Rune Blade that emanated a dark and terrible power. But the apparition faded away as soon as it appeared.

'The Prince's fate has been altered. The Scourge has found a new Lich King.'

She knew that voice. That was the voice of the Prophet that visited Archmage Antonidas. Before she could think on it further, Arthas walked up to her and brought a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see his worried gaze.

"Jaina, what's wrong?"

The Archmage shook her head and held the Prince's hand with her own "It's nothing Arthas. It's nothing. Let's just go to bed and rest for the day, yes?"

She moved away from him and opened the door that led to the next room which was Arthas' bed chambers. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she was met by a different sight. Her reflection wore the saw clothes but she looked older. Dark circle under her eyes and her face was set in an expression of anger. Her hair was white with only a few strands of blonde in the front. Behind her was the sea, raging as the storm it accompanied. As soon as she blinked, she was met with her own reflection.

'The Daughter of the Sea, however, is not safe from hers. The loss of her love ones and the death of her people will unleash the beast within. Do not falter from your beliefs, Daughter of the Sea. Seek solace in your heart, your love. Lest you travel down the path of your downfall. You have been warned.'

**Note to self: Never write on an empty stomach. You'll start writing random shit if you do.**


	5. Might of Lordaeron Ch 5

'Light, I hate the rain.'

Those were the thoughts running through Falric's mind as he stared at the horizon from Sturmburg's wall. Sturmburg, a fortress set up by the top of a cliff side. There was only one way to enter the fortress but two ways to get out. One is up the ramp and through the front gates. The other, a secret passage that lies within the great hall that led down the cliff side. The Black Dogs, however, didn't find that and were trapped when the Alliance forces moved in to take the fortress.

It has only been a day since they've taken the fortress from Black Dog hands and his men had already indulged themselves in the fortress's beer cellar. Why did they take this fortress you ask? Simple. The old fortress turned out to be closer to the borders of Feoh after their expansion for more territory for the increasing amount of refugees. As expected, the place was garrisoned by the Black Dogs due to being northwest of Feoh and close to Garan. Fortunately, the failed Siege of Feoh had left the fortress's garrison army low on men. Volt had refused to reinforce the place and focused the majority of his men on his conquest of the west. This left the fortress an easy picking for the Alliance and a good way to expand their territory further. Due to the low number of mercenaries, the Alliance took the fortress within a day. Captain Falric was tasked to hold the castle while they wait for the Workers and garrison army to arrive from Feoh.

The sun had set when the rain began and Falric was in the middle of taking a walk on the inner wall when it poured. The Captain sighed as he made his way back to the great hall. Maybe a warm meal and a mug of beer waiting for him inside. Pft, yeah right.

'The men have probably emptied the cellar by now.'

He entered the great hall to find his men had indeed emptied the cellar. Falric sighed as he took a seat on one of the chairs and thanked a Footman for handing him a plate of smoked sausage. He ate in silence, watching the great hall erupt with drunken songs and cheer. The Captain watched as the men got shitfaced drunk the whole night, careful not to drink too much and have at least one sober person among them.

'I need some fresh air. Preferably, something that doesn't reek of puke, beer or piss.'

The Captain stood from his chair and made his way out. He stopped by a pillar and leaned on the structure before taking off his helmet. He ran a hand through his messy, brown hair, ruffling the bit of sweat away before continuing down the corridor that led outside.

"Going somewhere?"

If the voice wasn't so familiar, he would've reached for his sword and drawn it at the speaker. He simply looked towards the voice and saw Lady Windrunner leaning on a pillar with her arms crossed.

"Just outside, Lady Windrunner." Falric replied "The men are too drunk to keep watch and I don't think drunken dwarves with guns is a good idea for tonight's watch. Might as well keep watch while I get some fresh air."

The door to the hall opened and a drunken dwarf came out, chasing after a chicken.

"Get back here ya wee devil! Get in mah belly!"

The dwarf didn't get any further before slamming face first into a pillar and falling to his back, knocked out. The chicken cautiously moved towards it's pursuer and pecked the dwarf's nose. Seeing the dwarf wasn't moving, the chicken situated itself on the dwarf's stomach. The Captain looked at Sylvanas with an amused look.

"See my point?"

A small quirk of her lips indicated her amusement before getting off the pillar and walking over to the Captain "Might as well go with you, Captain. I need to stretch my legs for a bit."

The Captain nodded and gestured towards the door "After you, my Lady."

~Line Break~

Fortunately, the rain had stopped pouring. Falric sat by the small set of stairs and set down his helmet beside him. He looked at the full moon and took out a smoking pipe. He didn't smoke but just kept the mouthpiece between his lips.

"You smoke, Captain?" Sylvanas asked as she leaned on the statue in front of the great hall. A statue of the Goddess which was unfortunately defiled by the Black Dogs.

"On occasion. Though, not tonight. I'd rather stay alert. Just the feel of it is fine by me."

The High-Elf hummed in acknowledgement before looking at the horizon. The night was still young and the soldiers were already shitfaced drunk. The only ones that weren't were her, the Captain and the Outer Wall's guards. As she looked at the night sky, the Captain suddenly jumped to his feet. His eyes narrowed as he stared in the distance. Deciding to find out what took the Captain's attention, Sylvanas stared at the distance as well. It was a small light in the distance. A torch by the looks of it.

'Odd.' She thought before seeing that Falric found it suspicious as well.

"They weren't supposed to be here until tomorrow." Falric muttered to himself before making his way back to the great hall.

Sylvanas narrowed her eyes in the distance. She kept gazing at the approaching light until she spotted the silhouettes of men, armed men, did she knew that they were trouble. She was later joined by Falric as Footmen and Riflemen exited the great hall. Thankfully alert but still a bit tipsy.

"What do you see, my Lady?"

"Armed men. At least two hundred strong." She narrowed her eye as she saw the banner they carried "Black Dogs."

"Damn it. Why are they here? Volt lost interest in the west for months now."

"I don't know. Wait... I see... slaves... Women and children. Looks like they just came back from a raid." Sylvanas finished before making a beeline to the Outer Wall. Falric followed after her but not before telling a Footman to sound the alarm. The fortress came to life as the Alliance prepared to defend it at all cost. They reached the Outer Wall and the Riflemen were already preparing their Blunderbusses and ammo.

Sylvanas looked in the distance and started to formulate a plan. The Black Dogs are coming back from a raid. Tired and weary. They think the fortress is still theirs and hoped to relieve themselves here. Pass the outer gate and Outer Wall was a long corridor that leads to the inner gate and pass the Inner Wall. The corridor was not that wide. It was a tight squeeze and would compress the Black Dogs between the Inner and Outer Gate. Maybe they can... Yes, yes. That could work.

"Captain, I have a plan."

~Line Break~

The Black Dogs sighed in relief as they finally reached Sturmburg. Three villages and two towns worth of whores. They finally had a chance to rest and put these women to good use. They marched up the ramp and waited for the portcullis to be raised. The gate was lifted and the wooden doors were opened. The Black Dogs entered and passed the Outer Gate.

"Aahhh... We can finally sit down and have a fucking beer."

"I'm just glad to have a bed to sleep on. The ground's killing my back."

"Maybe we can get some of those girls to warm the bed, yeah?"

"No fucking way. The boss wants them fresh."

"Come on. Just one. We can share the bitch."

"And if the boss finds out. Then what?"

"He won't. We'll just let the orcs have their fun with her. Besides, I'm tired of getting sloppy seconds from those brownskins."

"Yeah. Good point."

They stopped by the Inner Gate and waited for the doors to open. Five minutes later and the door still hadn't opened. One of the mercenaries got impatient and started hanging on the door.

"Open up already! We're starving here!"

He banged again and the door still refused to open. Back to the Outer Gate. The Footman peeking over the wall nodded to the Rifleman and the dwarf nodded back. He grabbed the portcullis contra and released the lock. The portcullis dropped down to some of the unfortunate Black Dogs that were under it. Impaling them and separating the ones between the gates and outside. This caused the Dogs to cry in outrage and confusion. The Black Dog banging on the door looked back to wonder what was going on then heard the Inner Gate's doors open. He turned back to the doors only for an arrow to lodge itself in his eye. The trapped mercenaries looked towards the doors and saw an Elf Ranger with a bow glaring at them. Dwarves with Blunderbusses aimed at them flanked her. The Elf smirked smugly at them before taking a step back and letting another dwarf take her place.

"Alright, laddies. This is where we fight and this is where ya die. Any last words?" A dwarf with greying red hair asked as he shouldered his Blunderbuss.

"Kill the midgets!"

"Of course. Typical." The lead dwarf muttered with a scoff before aiming his Blunderbuss at the one who screamed "Open fire, boys!"

The Riflemen's Blunderbuss Long Rifles boomed as they shot down the trapped mercenaries. They stopped after their third volley and pulled back, letting the Footmen charge in and take care of the Dogs. Sylvanas let out a hum of satisfaction as her plan worked. Lure the Dogs to the tight corridor and trap them there. Kill the trapped ones while the Riflemen hiding atop the Outer Wall reveal themselves once the portcullis closed and open fire on the surprised mercenaries. The Ranger-General quickly ran for the stairs that led up the Outer Wall. She passed by the dwarves and Footmen, who decided to take shots with their Hand Cannons, on the top of the wall.

"Keep firing!"

She drew her bow and nocked an arrow before firing. The arrow lodged itself in a screaming mercenary's mouth. She drew another arrow and looked for her next target. Down below, the Black Dogs started raising their shields to protect themselves from arrows, bullets and pellets.

"Get back! Get back! Get out of her-" The mercenary was cut off as an arrow pierced his throat. The Black Dogs were sent into a panic. This ambush caught them by surprise that they were loosing men left and right. The portcullis began to rise and the mercenaries thought their men had took control of the gate.

"The gate's opening. Get inside! Get inside!"

The Black Dogs ran up the ramp and towards the gate. They left the slaves and weapon carts behind. Intent on finding shelter inside. The portcullis was completely raised and doors were slowly opening. Bloodthirsty grins marked their faces at the thought of payback only for their mouths to drop in horror as they saw the mercenaries inside dead. A lone Footman with golden accents on his armor stared back at them. Behind him was a wall of Footmen, swords bloody and faces eager.

Falric glared at the Black Dogs at the gate before looking down on the mercenary by his feet. The man lost a leg thanks to one of the Riflemen and was crawling towards his comrades. The Captain remained silent as he placed his foot on the mercenary's back, stopping him from crawling away. He rolled the man to his back and stared directly into his terrified eyes. He looked up at the Black Dogs before looking down on the mercenary and buried his blade on the man's heart. As soon as he released his sword from the dead body, the Footmen moved towards him and together, they formed a shieldwall.

"Forward!"

The Footmen marched forward as the Black Dogs charged at them. The two forces collide and the Footmen held their ground. Falric grit his teeth as the Black Dogs pored in from the gate and were trying hard to pish them back. He could feel the shieldwall hold the mercenaries back and hoped the Riflemen up top were taking out the mercenaries left outside.

"Now!"

The shields on the front pushed the mercenaries back before lowering their shields and killing the mercenaries that went down. They raised their shields once more and tanked the Black Dogs' attack.

"Hold steady!... Now!"

They pushed the mercenaries back once more but the Black Dogs used their momentum to throw themselves back at the shields. Falric grit his teeth at the mercenary attacking him. He held his ground and used his tower shield to throw the mercenary behind him. The mercenary landed inside the Footmen ranks and was quickly impaled by their swords. The front of the shield wall repeated this action and slowly advanced. They pushed the Black Dogs back to the ramp and held them off their.

"Falric!"

The Captain looked up and saw the Ranger-General about to jump from the Outer Wall, her destination towards him. His eyes widened and he kicked the mercenary in front of him back and raised his shield. Sylvanas landed on the shield and used her momentum to jump high with all the grace of a Quel'dorei. She nocked three arrows and let them loose on the top of three mercenaries' heads. She landed in the middle of the Black Dogs' ranks and used her bow as a weapon. She swung the bow right into a mercenary's abdomen before kicking him off the ramp. She took out an arrow and jumped on a mercenary's shoulder before stabbing it on his neck. Backflipping off the dead mercenary, she nocked the same arrow and fired the arrow midflip. The arrow lodged itself on the back of another mercenary's head.

"Rraghh!"

She turned around and raised her bow just in time to block a sword meant for her head but the force of the blow forced her to the ground. The mercenary raised his word to swing again only for Falric to bury his in the mercenary's exposed abdomen. The Captain pushed the body off and held his hand out for the High-Elf.

"My Lady, are you alright?"

Sylvanas nodded her thanks and let Falric help her up. The two looked around them and saw there were still more Black Dogs around the field.

"There's still more of them." The Captain commented "But we can handle it."

Her ear twitched and she looked in the distance. A roar tore through the battlefield as a horde of brownskins and ogres entered the battle. Falric's eyes widened before he turned to his men.

"Get the prisoners out of here! Get them out. Fall back to Sturmburg!"

The Footmen heard their Captain's orders and buried to the chained prisoners. Some where in cages carried by carts. The Footmen cut the chains and escorted the women and children to Sturmburg. Falric went to one of the cages and cut the lock and chain on the door.

"Hurry! Get to the fortress. Move!"

He looked across the battlefield and saw all the prisoners heading to the fortress. Some of the Footmen tried to distract the ogres only for them to be crushed by the beasts' spiked clubs. The brownskins didn't fare better than their larger counterparts as they were taken down by groups of Footmen each. Falric tried to find Sylvanas only to see her jump on a brownskin's head and used it to jump right towards an ogre.

Sylvanas nocked three arrows midair and fired at the ogre's face. The arrows lodged itself in the beast's eyes and forehead. The ogre roared in pain as it fell to it's back, crushing a group of unfortunate mercenaries. She raised her hand to the sky and was about to cast Starfall against the beasts but was stopped when an ogre slammed it's club into her. The High-Elf was thrown away and landed on her back a few feet away from Falric. The brownskins began to surround the dazed Elf but was stopped when a spear lodged itself on the back of one brownskin. The orc fell face first to the ground dead, making the others look at the attacker and saw the Captain bash his shield on an orc. The force of the charge pushed the orc on the ground and allowed Falric to stab it in the head.

Falric raised his shield just in time to block a blow from a brownskin but soon felt a large hand grab his throat and was lifted off the ground. The orc that held the Captain by the neck grinned viciously as it prepared to crush his throat but screamed in pain as an arrow lodged itself into it's back. The pain caused the orc to drop Falric and he quickly grabbed his sword before stabbing the brownskin through the heart. He pulled his blade free before Sylvanas grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him towards the fortress.

"Come on!"

The two ran back to the fortress along with the rest of the Footmen. A Footman that ran beside them was suddenly grabbed by an ogre and lifted in the air. The beast stared at the Footman before biting his head off. The ogre roared and threw the body towards a group of brownskins who then tore apart and began to feast on the headless corpse. Some of the Footmen met this grizzly end before everyone had fallen back to the fortress. The doors of the Outer Gate closed and the portcullis was lowered, barring the monsters from entry.

Falric and Sylvanas made their way to the top of the wall and looked down on the monsters below them. An ogre tried to pull the portcullis off the wall only to be peppered by the Riflemen. Any of the monsters that got close to the gate met the same fate. Falric sighed and took off his helmet. He looked to Sylvanas and saw the High-Elf holding back a bleeding wound on her abdomen.

"My Lady, you are injured!"

"I can see that, Captain!" Sylvanas snapped before wincing in pain. The beast's spiked club managed to cut her but the adrenaline of the battle made her numb of the pain until now.

"We must get you to a healer!"

"I can still fight, Captain."

"Like hell you are. I'm taking you to the Physician myself, my Lady. No matter how much you refuse."

Because there weren't many Priests that came with them on Eostia and there were only two Paladins and no one else were attuned to the Light as they, the Alliance had to settle with Physicians until they can train more Priests. Falric placed the High-Elf's arm around his neck before gently letting her lean on him and made their way to the great hall. Sylvanas cursed under her breath in Thalassian but conceded. They passed by a Sergeant who Falric ordered to take command of the forces on the wall and have men ready to fight by the Outer Gate should the monsters managed to break through while he brought Sylvanas to the Physician.

~Line Break~

The great hall was packed with freed slaves and prisoners. The Footmen moved around and handed out warm food and cold water before grabbing their weapons to rejoin the battle. Finding a spot by the fireplace, Falric set the High-Elf down gently on the chair before calling for a Physician. A black haired, young woman with glasses quickly ran to them and began examining Sylvanas' wound.

"It's just a flesh wound." The High-Elf complained as the Physician fussed over her.

"I'm afraid the wound is deeper than you thought, my Lady, but thankfully not too deep. I can stitch you up in no time but further strenuous activities may cause the wound to open again. You will suffer heavy blood loss should you continue to fight, my Lady. I must advise you to not do so."

Sylvanas fumed. She did not want to stay out of this battle for too long but fighting with an open wound can be quite... annoying to say the least. She sighed and let the Physician do her work. Fortunately, Physicians found a way to numb the area of the wound so they can stitch it up without being too painful for their patients.

"Just get it over with." She muttered and let the Physician do her work.

Falric watched them for a few more minutes before deciding to return to the fight.

"If you'll excuse me, my Lady. I must return to the fight. I wish you well, Lady Windrunner." The Captain nodded goodbye before moving to leave the great hall. He stopped and handed a freed slave his waterskin before leaving through the doors.

Falric hurried past the Footmen and made his way to the Outer Wall. Once on top, he turned to the Sergeant "Report."

"The brownskins are-"

"INCOMING!"

The two ducked at the dwarf's warning as a cage crashed between the two of them. Falric looked over the wall and saw the ogres using whatever they can find to throw over at the wall. Rocks, boulders, cages and dead bodies of the mercenaries.

"The bastards are literally throwing everything at us, sir! But that's not the worst of it."

"I'm afraid to ask."

The Sergeant nodded and pointed towards the Outer Gate. The sight that met him made him wonder whether to laugh at the stupidity of it or gape in horror in the fact that it was working. Two of the ogres were using a third ogre as a battering ram. The ogre battering ram had a cage for a helmet and was being rammed at the Outer Gate's barricaded doors. The portcullis lay bent and broken on the side. Falric cursed and turned to the Sergeant.

"Get as many men as you can and brace those doors. I'll assemble more men to the middle corridor and meet the bastards head on if they break through. Hogrin!"

"Aye, lad." The greying redhead dwarf exclaimed as he ran over to them with his Blunderbuss.

"I need you down there and fire a volley if those ogres break through. Your rifles are crucial in killing those big bastards."

"I'll get the best of mah boys on the job. Don't ya worry."

"Then get to it."

Falric watched the dwarf call to a group of Riflemen and made their way down the wall. He raised his sword and called to his men.

"To the gate! To the gate!"

A frenzy of Footmen rushed down the Outer Wall and made their way to the gate. Falric pulled a Footman back just as a boulder smashed into where he was standing. The Footman nodded his thanks and went back to running to the gate. Another boulder smashed into a group of Footmen, crushing the ones it landed on and throwing the others near the impact off their feet. Falric grabbed a fallen Footman by the arm and pulled him up.

"Go! Go! Go! Don't let those big bastards break through the gate! Go!"

The rush of Footmen reached the tightly packed corridor and readied their swords and shields, forming a shieldwall. Hogrin's Riflemen moved in front of them, aiming their Blunderbusses at the door. The other Footmen pushed past these men and braced the gate. Using whatever they can to keep the doors shut. The Footmen bracing the doors were pushed back after a powerful ram from the ogres, the doors cracking under the pressure.

"Brace!"

Footmen after Footmen rushed to the door and used their own bodies to keep the ogres from breaking through. Outside, the two ogres heaved the battering ogre and roared as they charged one last time and slammed into the doors. The gate gave out, breaking the gate and pushing the Footmen bracing them back. Four downed Footmen were suddenly grabbed by their legs and was pulled outside screaming. Their cries were cut off with loud crunches before an ogre entered the gate with a Footman's bleeding leg hanging from it's mouth. The downed Footmen jumped to their feet and began attacking the ogre's legs.

"Fire!"

Blunderbusses boomed as the Riflemen fired a volley that filled the ogre's head and chest with bullets. Before the body could fall to the ground, it was pushed aside by another ogre. The second ogre roared as it swung it's spiked club at the Footmen in front of it, sending them flying away. An unlucky Footman was unfortunately impaled in the spiked club, still alive but in tremendous amounts of pain.

"Fire!"

The Riflemen fired at the beast's unprotected head, killing it and making it fall face first into the ground. A group of Footmen moved to get their impaled comrade, who was surprisingly still alive, out of the spiked club. Before they could reach him however, the brownskins swarmed in and pushed the Footmen back to their ranks, leaving the unlucky Footman behind. His screams filling the night air as some of the brownskins that weren't fighting tore him apart.

"Riflemen, fall back! Fall back to the Outer Wall!" Falric ordered as the shield wall moved to protect the retreating Dwarves, holding back the brownskins "Come on, men! Put some elbow into it!"

The Footmen held their ground, not willing to let the brownskins past the corridor and thought the Inner Gate. Above them, Riflemen and Footmen, who had took upon themselves to use bows and arrows they've scavenged from the fortress's former occupants, fired down on the brownskins. Unfortunately, some of the brownskins made it to the staircase that led up to the Outer Wall. The Riflemen turned their sights on these brownskins and fired. Despite the pain, some of the brownskins used the bodies of their dead to shield them from the bullets. One even threw a dead brownskin at the Dwarves.

Hogrin roared as he charged and used the axe attached on the underside of his Blunderbuss to cut a brownskin behind the calf. The beast roared in pain before it's head was split open by Hogrin. The Dwarven Rifleman kicked the body down and crouched, aiming his Blunderbuss at a brownskin that threw one of his Riflemen over the wall and into his doom.

"Oh, you'll pay for that ya filthy bastard!"

~Line Break~

As the battle on top of the well continued, the battle below it didn't fare any better. The momentary support the ones on the wall gave them enough breathing room to push the brownskins back. Unfortunately, the men were growing tired but the beasts were still intent on killing them and getting to the women and children. Falric will not let that happen.

The Captain roared as he bashed his shield to push back a brownskin and swung his sword down on the beast's head. He raised his shield to block a brownskin's strike and stabbed his blade in it's abdomen before cleaving it's head off after it fell to it's knees. He parried a blow from another beast and kicked it's knee with enough force to break it. He switched to reverse grip and stabbed the kneeling orc on it's nape before pulling the blade free.

"Captain, look out!"

Falric was pushed to the ground and saw the Sergeant Sergeant get grabbed by the orc instead of him. The brownskin took off the Sergeant's helmet and roared before sinking it's teeth on the Footman's neck. The Sergeant screamed and Falric jumped to his feet. He raised his sword and chopped off the brownskin's arm, making it drop the Sergeant. Falric wasn't done and he sliced the other arm off before kicking the beast to the ground. He stabbed the brownskin right in it's open mouth as it kept roaring in pain. He pulled the blade free before running to the Sergeant. Unfortunately, when Falric reached him, the Sergeant's eyes were staring blankly ahead. His body unmoving.

Falric cursed before kneeling down and closing the Sergeant's eyes, muttering a small prayer to the Light before rising to his feet. The Captain charged and slammed his shield on a brownskin's back, forcing it face first into the ground. He didn't give it time to recover as he stabbed the head of the orc. A Footman helped him up his feet before looking at the battle around them.

"They are dwindling, sir."

"And our men are growing tired. We have to finish this now. With one last push. Footmen, rally to me!"

The soldiers took out their opponents and quickly formed a shield wall with the Captain.

"We make one last charge to drive these bastards out." He raised his sword and pointed at the orcs "FOR LORDAERON!"

"FOR LORDAERON!"

The Footmen, Falric at the front, charged at the remaining orcs. Swords eager to end this fight now. The brownskins roared and met the Footmen with a charge of their own. This proved to be their downfall. Despite their size and ferocity, these brownskins were nothing compared to the Orcs of the Horde. Especially with the Horde's crafty Warchief. And so, the Footmen overwhelmed the brownskins with their numbers.

The two groups clashed and the Footmen broke through the orc lines. Blades crossed and skulls were bashed. Blood flooded the very ground they fight upon as more and more orcs fell, unfortunately along with some of the Footmen. An orc's body fell off the Outer Wall and Falric looked up to see Hogrin and his dwarves pushing dead bodies off the wall and into the brownskins. An arrow wizzed past Falric's face and struck a charging orc right in the forehead, stopping it in it's tracks. Falric looked behind him and saw Sylvanas by the opened doors of the Inner Gate, mouthing the words 'We're even' towards him. The Captain shook his head as he watched her continue firing arrows from a distance while the same Physician was keeping close by the High-Elf.

The Captain returned to the battle only to see that the last of the orcs inside the tight corridor were dead. He moved past the Footmen as he saw the remaining orcs and ogres outside retreat. The Riflemen began firing off at the orcs, laughing and taunting something about 'sissy brownskins'. Falric sighed in relief before raising his sword, looking at his tired and weary men.

"Victory! We have victory!"

The soldiers cheered and drummed their swords on their shields. They had lasted the surprise attack of the Black Dog orcs. Not to mention the battle to take the fortress and the battle against the mercenaries before the orcs arrival. Three skirmishes in one day. That was new record for them. Falric lowered his sword and looked around the battlefield. So many bodies. Some of them were in pieces thanks to the carnivorous orcs.

'Time to gather the dead. I always hated this part.' He grimly thought before wiping the blood off his blade and sheathing it.

~Line Break~

Princess Knight Alicia Arcturus listened idly to the conversation of her Knights. Their mission was to escort the Workers and relieve Lady Sylvanas and Captain Falric's men from the fortress of Sturmburg. After making sure the new troops have settled in, Alicia and her Knights would return to the City of Feoh. They had the same amount of soldiers that Sylvanas bought with her with the addition of her Knights and a Priest.

Alicia continued to listen to the conversation about the rumors surrounding the Dwarves' Flying Machine project. They were interrupted when they heard roars and the sounds of heavy feet running from the road ahead. Roars were never good. That meant ogres and orcs were nearby.

"Draw your swords! Knights, form a line. Footmen, defend the Workers."

The soldiers moved to do as they were told while the Knights formed two rows of cavalry with Alicia. The Princess Knight glared in the distance and put her helmet on. She made sure her lance was secured on her mount's saddle, the spear tip pointed at the front. She drew her sword, Light's Justice. A gift from Arthas and Jaina after her induction to the new Knights of Lordaeron.

Silence fell upon them as they waited for the beasts. Alicia kept her grip on Light's Justice tight as they heard the heavy footsteps grow closer and closer. Soon, the monsters arrived came to view. Bloody and bruised. Their breathing heavy, showing the strain of a recent battle. The monsters hadn't seen them yet and Alicia took the chance.

"Charge!"

The Knights charged towards the monsters. Their lances skewered the first line of orcs before using their swords to strike down the beasts. Alicia pulled her blade out of an orc's back and watched as the rest of her Knights dealt with the surprised orcs. They trampled and crushed the orcs with their mounts' mighty legs and steel horseshoes. Their steel swords severing the heads of the monsters, separating head from shoulders.

Alicia charged another orc and pushed it to the ground. She reared her horse back and let it stomp it's hooves down the orc's head, crushing it. She parried another orc on her left and kicked it away but a third grabbed her arm and pulled her down her mount. She fell on her back and looked up as the orc raised it's club to crush her head. Moving quickly, she gripped her sword tightly before rolling out of the club's way. She grabbed the blade of her sword with her other hand and plunged it deep within the orc's abdomen. She pulled her weapon free and let the orc fall to it's knees. The beast roared in pain as it clutched it's wound only to be cut off as the Princess Knight severed it's ugly head. She turned around to find that her mount was kicking away any orcs with it's hind legs. Alicia knew it would only be a matter of time before it was overwhelmed so she charged the orc near it.

Alicia let her blade sink deep into the back of the orc and out it's chest. She pulled the blade free and ducked to avoid a swing from another orc. She countered with a swing of her own in it's abdomen and sent it spinning to the ground. Alicia jumped back in the saddle and rode her mount to aid one of her Knights that was being overwhelmed. The Knight's mount was dead and was holding off three orcs. Alicia trampled one of the orcs and severed the head of the other. The Knight cut down the last one before looking at the Princess Knight.

"Thank you, Lady Alicia."

"Ride with me."

The Knight nodded and jumped to the back of the saddle. A roar tore through the battle and the two saw the two ogres. Alicia grit her teeth in frustration. Just when she thought it was only orcs they had to worry about. A plan worked itself into her head and she dismounted her horse.

"Take the reins. Give me your sword."

The Knight nodded and handed her sword to Alicia. The Princess Knight climbed on the back of the saddle, much to the confusion of the Knight.

"Ride between them."

"My Lady!?"

"Just do it!"

The Knight looked unsure but did what her Lady ordered her to do. As they made their way to the two charging ogres, Alicia swung her blades left and right. Cutting down orcs that their horse hadn't trampled. They drew closer to the ogres, who remained charging and pushing away their orc brethren. As soon as they were between the two, Alicia simultaneously swung her blades and cut the ogres by the hips. Deep enough to cause both monsters to roar in pain as they tripped and crash to the ground. The other Knights swarming them and throwing spears that were hooked to their saddles.The Knight stared in shock at what just happened.

"That was amazing, my Lady!"

Alicia smiled before ordering the Knight to ride back into the fray. Pretty soon, the orcs were defeated and the ogres were no more. The giant beasts' bodies looked like pincushions with the amount of spears embedded in their backs. Alicia raised Light's Justice in the air.

"Victory!"

The Knights and the rest of the army cheered. They took their wounded to a cart made by the Workers to move them easier before resuming their trek to Sturmburg. Alicia let the Knight ride with her for the journey to the fortress. Nearly half an hour later, they saw the fortress atop the cliff side. The moon shining down on it and the banners of the Alliance and Lordaeron hanging down the towers of the Outer Gate. But what caught Alicia's eye were the pile of burning bodies a distance away from the fortress.

~Line Break~

Captain Falric smoked his pipe as he sat down on a chair he placed by the broken gate. His helmet was off, showing bruises on his face and a bandage wrapped around his head. He had his arms crossed as he looked at the burning pile of corpses. Leaning in the broken door beside him was Sylvanas, playing with an arrow with her fingers. A bandage around her wound. Her hood was down, letting the wind blow her golden hair. She too was staring at the burning corpses. Thinking. Her thoughts were interrupted when her ears picked up the sound of hooves on the ground. She looked up from the corpses and saw the Alliance force sent to relieve them.

Falric felt her shift and looked away from the burning pile to see Princess Knight Alicia and the relief force. Falric stood in attention as the Princess made her way up the ramp and towards them.

"Hail, Princess Alicia."

"Captain." Alicia nodded before greeting Sylvanas "Lady Windrunner."

The Ranger-General nodded at the Princess before asking "What took you so long? We were starting to think you all got lost?"

"We got a little... sidetracked by a group of orcs."

The High-Elf nodded in understanding before pushing open the doors. Alicia and her army entered through to Outer Gate. A little shocked at seeing the blood puddles all over the tight corridor before passing through the Inner Gate. They stabled the horses and let the Workers do repairs around the fortress before entering the great hall. Once inside, they were greeted with the sight of two dozen women and children. All were dirty but were busy enjoying the warm meal and fire to care.

"We freed them after two companies worth of Black Dogs decide to relief themselves here before returning to Garan." Falric began. Making the Princess jump at the Captain's sudden appearance. She didn't even know he followed them "They came from three different villages and two different towns. They were captured to be sent to Volt himself. Said something about them being fresh meat for him. The other women of their village were left for the orcs to play with. I don't think I have to tell you what that means."

Alicia nodded grimly before looking back at the great hall "Ever since this war with the Black Dogs started, this has been a common sight that I've grown used to. Families shattered, women broken. Is there no end to this? How long will the innocents suffer in this war?"

"...I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that, my Lady." Falric replied after a moment of silence "All we can do is hope that it will end soon. Goodnight, Lady Alicia. Lady Sylvanas and I decided to have the men rest for the night. We'll leave by dawn."

"Of course, Captain. Goodnight."

~Line Break~

By dawn, Sylvanas band Falric's soldiers left Sturmburg in the hands of the Princess. A quarter of their way to Feoh, they caught sight of the dead bodies of the orcs that Alicia encountered. They decided to leave the bodies alone for the crows. They arrived in Feoh before noon and were greeted by the sight of farmers handing out food and beverages. Upon seeing the slaves they rescued, the farmers shifted their concern to the slaves. The army made their way to the city, Sylvanas and Falric made a beeline to the castle. Already had their respective reports in mind.

Once inside, they were greeted by Prim who offered them a grey sludge she called 'food'. The two politely declined and asked if Arthas was in his office. Alone. The pinkette grew red at that and nodded, knowing the reason why they asked if Arthas was alone. The two thanked the girl and made their way to his office. Once there, Falric was the one that announced their presence.

"Prince Arthas. May we enter?"

"Come in, Falric."

The two entered his office to see Arthas was lazily writing down approval requests for things around the city. He wasn't gonna say it, though it was obvious, but he was glad for the distraction. He can fight for days on end. Destroy enemies with his bare hands. But paper work? Alas, it was an obstacle he cannot beat.

"Lady Sylvanas, Captain Falric. How'd it go?"

Falric sighed and Arthas knew he wasn't gonna like what he was about to hear "We've successfully captured Sturmburg from the Black Dogs and have taken it within the day. Unfortunately, two companies of Black Dog mercenaries stopped by Sturmburg to relieve themselves after sacking three villages and two towns, bringing with them at least two dozen women and children from their raids. Lady Sylvanas formulated a plan to trap the Dogs within a narrow corridor to thin them out before engaging the main force. The plan worked but we didn't expect an attack by a horde of brownskins and ogres. We took losses from the attack but we managed to drive them off. After that, Lady Alicia and her army arrived to relieve us. We encountered no more Black Dogs on the return journey here, my Lord."

"Is that all, Captain?"

"Yes, my Liege."

"...very well." Arthas muttered before turning to Sylvanas "Can you verify his report?"

"All of it is true, Prince Menethil. Every word of it."

"Thank you. Is there anything else you need?"

The Captain shook his head but the Ranger-General nodded.

"I wish to talk about the rumors of the East."

"Of course. Captain, you are dismissed."

Falric saluted before leaving the room. Arthas looked at Sylvanas and gestured for her to go ahead.

"Is it true? That the East has fallen to Volt's hands?"

Arthas sighed and stood from his chair "I'm not entirely sure. Reports say that the Seven Shields have lost contact with Thorn and Ansur. The Princess Knight Lulu said her castle was attacked by the Black Dogs and she barely made it out alive. She described her attackers as Greenskins. From her description, these are not the same as the ones from the Horde. They are green but they act like the brownskins. All they do is rape and murder. Nothing more. Unfortunately, she didn't know the status of Thorn nor the Shrine Maiden Kaguya. I fear the Black Dogs may have taken Thorn first and the Shrine Maiden is lost to their filthy hands."

~Line Break~

"Warchief... This city's lost. We can't do anything about it. Besides, this isn't our fight. Let the humans fight it out themselves."

Atop a cliff that overlooked the city of Thorn, two Orcs sat on their Dire wolves as they looked down on the city. The one that rode a grey Dire wolf and carried a large Warblade turned to leave. The other one, the one that rode a black Dire wolf and wore black armor while wielding a war hammer, stayed.

Thrall closed his eyes as he considered what Nazgrel said. The Raider was right. This wasn't their fight. But... The screams that filled the air were too hard for him to ignore. No. Human or not, he won't let these people suffer and die.

Nazgrel stopped when he didn't hear the Warchief move from his spot. He looked over his shoulder to see Thrall gripping Doomhammer's handle tightly. His face set in a sneer as he stared at the burning city.

'Of course he wouldn't let it go.' The Raider thought to himself before shaking his head.

"At least we get to kill something." He muttered under his breath as he rode his Dire wolf back to Thrall. He stopped beside the Warchief and looked down on the city.

"So we're really doing this?"

"Yes."

The Raider sighed and rested the gigantic Warblade on his shoulder "Say the word, Warchief."

Thrall raised Doomhammer high. Lightning struck the weapon in his hands as the Warchief roared along with the thunder.

~Line Break~

"We got the bitch to ourselves, boys."

A group of Black Dog mercenaries cheered as they threw one of the Shrine Maiden's personal guards on the ground. The girl screamed as the Black Dogs ripped her clothes and underwear off. A thunder boomed so loud that the group stopped what they were doing to look up at the sky. One of the mercenaries shrugged it off and pulled his pants down, showing the poor girl his erect manhood. The others soon did the same and had their fun with the girl. It's always better when they're fresh.

As the mercenaries continued to defile the girl, they didn't notice the greenskin orc in black stop at the gate. What they did notice was the Dire Wolf's howl. The sound made the mercenaries look at the greenskin in confusion. The others glared at the orc and threw a rock at it. The harmless stone bouncing off the orc's black armor.

"Wait for your turn. We got her first!"

The orc sneered and glared at them. The mercenaries laughed and returned to their work.

"Get lost already! You'll have your fun once we're done with her."

"LOK-TAR OGAR!"

The orc's war cry was so loud that it made the mercenaries jump. They looked at the greenskin only for another one, this one riding a grey Dire Wolf and carrying a large sword, leapt over it. The Dire Wolf lunged and pinned one of the mercenary's on the ground, staring menacing menacingly at him as it bared it's teeth and growled. The orc rider, wearing a menacing horned helmet, sneered down at him.

"You're annoying my dog." It spoke in perfect Common before grinning wickedly "But he's also hungry."

The mercenary screamed as the Dire Wolf sank it's teeth on his neck.

~Line Break~

Nazgrel could feel himself grin from ear to ear as his Dire Wolf took a chunk out of the mercenary's neck. He stared menacingly at the three mercenaries left as they fumbled to pull up their pants and hold their swords at the same time.

"Sic 'em, boy."

The Dire Wolf snarled as it lunged at the mercenaries.

Thrall watched Nazgrel have his fun before looking down at the sobbing girl. The Warchief jumped off his Dire Wolf and approached the human. The girl saw this and weakly backpedaled until her back reached the staircase of the wooden house. Thrall raised his hand in a non-threatening gesture and knelt down to grab whatever's left of the human's clothes before gently laying it over her bare body.

"They won't hurt you anymore, young one. You are safe."

Thrall placed a large hand on the girl's head before rising to his feet. He turned away from the human and mounted his Dire Wolf. His Orcs roared as they ran through the gate and made their way around the city with specific instructions to not harm the innocents and unarmed.

"W-Who are you?"

Thrall looked down at the girl before looking at the burning city.

"I... am Thrall."

**A/N: That's probably the only appearance the Horde will make... for now. Won't be a lot of appearances because this is more Alliance-centric. So, territories. The Black Dogs hold the North and Southeast(Garan and Ansur). The Alliance/ Lordaeron hold the West(Feoh and Ur). The Seven Shields control the South(Ken, Rad and Geofu). And the Horde will control the East(Thorn).**


	6. Might of Lordaeron Ch 6

Joan smiled as she handed the newborn baby girl to her mother. A blue blanket wrapped around the baby's form.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Huntington. It's a girl. A beautiful baby girl."

The young brunette smiled tiredly as she held her daughter in her arms.

"My baby. What should I call you?" Mrs. Huntington thought out loud.

Joan smiled and bid the mother and daughter farewell. As she stood up and walked towards a rather plump woman with seven children around her, Joan idly wondered how she went from Paladin to Nursemaid. This was the third time this week she had to deliver a baby. Shaking those thoughts away, she greeted the plump woman with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Hemingway. Is there anything I can do for you?"

The woman smiled jovially at her "Yes, dear. Have you seen my daurghter, Mira? She's Mira Huntington now, dearie._

"The bed at the end of the hall, Mrs. Hemingway." Joan replied before looking at the children around the woman "Are all these children yours?"

"Why yes they are."

"Good gracious. You have been productive." The Half-Elf muttered before clearing her throat as Mrs. Hemingway and her children made their way to Mira and her daughter. The Paladin shook her head in mild amusement before heading for the exit. She passed by Elrothar and Valmir, the Priests she was tasked to escort around Lordaeron, and bid them farewell before pushing open the building's door.

The sun greeted Joan as she stepped out. She used her forearm to shield her eyes from it's glare before walking around Lightbringer District. The Half-Elf greeted the passersby before stopping by a fruit stand.

"Good afternoon, Paladin. What would you like?"

Joan looked at the different varieties of fruits the stall had before taking two apples. She paid the man two copper pieces before making her way out of the district. Her current destination was 'Bhog and Shorty's. Blacksmith, Armory, Workshop and Fine Dwarven-made Wares.' in the Hammerforge District. The area was where most of the dwarven populace reside and where every soldier in Feoh receive their weapons and armors.

Speaking of Feoh, the city had grown in size. In fact, it had grown so much that it was considered the largest city on Eostia. The city held five districts and more were yet to come if the city's expansion had anything to say about it. The city itself was surrounded by farmlands. Numerous farms filled these fields as Feoh's population began to grow triple the original amount. It also helped their military as citizens began volunteering to fight the Black Dogs, giving Feoh's military more manpower than it formerly had before Lordaeron came to the picture. All volunteers undergo Militia Training. Those who were deemed worthy enough are trained to be Footmen or Riflemen. The Magi Academy had yet to release Mages from their walls. Everyone that was attending the magical school had yet to finish their studies and prove to Archmage Jaina that they were ready.

Joan hummed to herself before stopping when she realized that she was at Hammerforge District already. She finished the first apple she bought before moving on to her second while making her way to Bhog and Shorty's. Her ear twitched as she heard a commotion coming from the Mortar Team's shop when she drew near and quickened her pace. She turned the corner to see the Mortar Team arguing and pointing at a scantily clad redhead. She walked closer and heard a bit of their argument.

"We keep tellin' ya, lassy. We don't care whether yer the bloody Queen of Ironforge. We're not handin' ya that sword until ya get some descent clothes on! We don't wanna look like we're servin' the likes of some cheap whore!" Bhog, the taller of the two dwarves, yelled as he pointed at the redhead. This was followed by a "Yeah!" from the shorter dwarf.

The redhead grit her teeth and glared down at the two "For the last time, these clothes are descent! Who do you think you are? Calling a Princess Knight a cheap whore!?"

"We said ya look like a cheap whore, lass. We never said you were one! Why do ya wear somethin' like that anyway? You wanna get stabbed in the heart or skewered like a boar? Well? Do ya!?"

"Please, Master Bhog. Your blood pressure!" A blue haired Knight warned as she tried to calm down the dwarf. The redhead's snickering wasn't helping either.

"Bah, fine! I got more important things to do than this. Shorty, sell the damn sword. I don't care."

"Okay."

Joan sighed before walking towards the Shop's entrance. She passed by the redheaded Princess Knight and couldn't help but see why Bhog said she looked like a cheap whore. The redhead wore a fur-collared, red leotard with a zipper that reached down to her nether regions. A brown headband and choker. Black fingerless gloves. Dark blue tights that was missing the parts covering her backside and crotch. A brown belt around her waist that held two short swords.

'A rogue, perhaps?' Joan thought as said redhead looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"See something you like?"

The Paladin blinked before bowing her head "My apologies, my Lady. It's just that... I can see why Bhog would compare you to a whore."

Before the redhead could retort, Joan held up a finger "Let me finish. Bhog has a point about your choice of clothing. Someday, you'll get skewered by someone with that much exposed skin. Not to mention how the Black Dogs act around women."

The redhead scoffed and crossed her arms, looking away from the Half-Elf "You think I don't know that? I served Volt before I became a Princess Knight. You think I don't notice the other mercenaries look at me with lust every time?"

"You served Volt?"

"What of it?"

Joan shrugged before leaning on a lamp post "It's just... why would someone, a woman for that matter, willingly work with the likes of Volt?"

"He wasn't always like that. Besides, he saved my life. I owe him."

"What about now? Are you still loyal to that man, knowing what he plans to do to the whole of Eostia? Or the suffering he had brought upon the innocents?"

Silence met her question and the Paladin sighed. She walked over to the mercenary and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the redhead to look at Joan. The Half-Elf gave her a sad smile and squeezed her shoulder gently.

"You don't have to answer that. But remember this. When the time comes, and it will, for you to face him... Never hesitate to raise your blade against him. He wouldn't. And did he really see you as any thing more than a tool? Something he could discard at will. Think about that."

The Paladin turned and walked towards Bhog and Shorty's shop when she stooped and looked over her shoulder "Oh, and don't forget about your state of dress. There are many types of armor one with your fighting style can use without hindering their efficiency. Just ask Bhog and Shorty. They'll set you up with a deal you won't regret."

She waved goodbye and reached for the door handle when the red head called after her.

"Wait! I didn't catch your name."

"Joan the Lightgazer, my Lady. Paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand. And who might you be?"

The redhead smiled and brought her hands to her hips. She gave the Paladin a wink before grinning.

"Princess Knight Maia. Queen of the Mercenaries."

"Self proclaimed?" Joan asked with a raised brow and an amused look. Maia shrugged and the Paladin shook her head in slight amusement before giving an overdramatic bow "Well met, Queen of the Mercenaries."

Maia laughed as she regarded the Half-Elf "I like you, Joan. What do you say to a couple of drinks in the Gnawed Noble?"

"I'll pass." The Paladin replied with a shake of her head "But the offer is appreciated. Oh, I believe you have a sword to buy."

"Right." Maia nodded and walked towards the Half-Elf "Maybe I'll see what kind of armor those midgets have."

"Try not to let them hear you say that. You do know those two are experts in explosives, right?"

"E-Explosives!?"

Joan smirked mischievously at wide mouthed Princess Knight before entering the shop, ignoring the gaping redhead outside.

"What do you mean explosives!?"

~Line Break~

Valerius watched in amusement as the Dwarven Riflemen tried to teach some of the new recruits on how to use and shoot a Blunderbuss Long Rifle. The Captain was leaning on the fence of the Shooting Range and nursing a mug of ale in his hand. People keep telling him it was too early for drinking... So he went to the dwarves. Besides, he was only on his first mug.

"Somehow I knew I'd find you here."

The Captain looked over his shoulder to see Falric walking towards him, he himself was holding a chalice of... water? Well, one of them had to at least be sober.

"Ah! Falric, my good man. Care to join me in watching recruits make a fool of themselves?"

The Captain nodded wordlessly before joining the other Captain in leaning on the fence. Falric made a sound of amusement as he saw the dwarf yelling at the recruits as he frustratingly taught them which part of the gun is pointed at the enemy.

"How long do you think we'll be sent out again?" He asked as he sipped his drink.

"Hard to say." Valerius replied with a shrug "It's been three weeks now and since something happened here. All the fights are happening in the East and South. All is quiet in the Western Front, apparently."

"Too quiet." Falric replied "No sightings of Black Dogs. No towns or villages in the West have been attacked by them for a while now. I have a bad feeling about all this lack of... action."

Valerius stared at his friend with raised eyebrows "Lack of action? It's been three weeks since Sturmburg. I thought you would be glad that our borders got more secured after that cock-up."

"I am, Valerius. I truly am. It means none of the people have to suffer from the Dogs. Our people anyway. But it could also mean that something big is coming."

"You think the Black Dogs are planning something? Like a large scale siege."

"Yes... or something worse. But I fear that something else, something unexpected, might appear and throw everything into chaos. Light, I just hope that I'm wrong." Falric looked down on his empty chalice. He didn't even know he had drank it all.

Valerius did the same but still had quite a bit of ale. He grunted and poured a bit of it into Falric's chalice. The other Captain looked at him in surprise and Valerius shrugged "Let's not think about that for a bit and enjoy the here and now, yes?"

Falric looked at his chalice then to Valerius before sighing. He raised his cup and so did Valerius "Agreed."

The two let their respective drinking cups hit before downing their liquor in one go, ending with a satisfied 'Ahh'.

~Line Break~

Sylvanas watched in slight amusement as Anya tried to teach the other Elves and Humans how to be a decent Ranger. Besides swordplay, the Footmen were taught the basics of Archery and other forms of combat but that was it. The ones the Quel'dorei were training are taught more than the basics. Though, they didn't show them everything they know.

"How do the recruits fare, my Lady?"

Sylvanas looked over her shoulder as Falric joined her in the balcony. The Ranger-General decided to be a bit more nice to the Captain ever since Sturmburg. Honestly, he was one of the only humans she actually tolerated enough to speak to them.

"They are... acceptable."

"If that's how you wanna put it, then the Militia trainees are 'acceptable' as well. If they could stop charging and swinging their sword around like a madman, that is."

Sylvanas let out a chuckle disguised as a cough. It was true. The Militia were good but the Militia Trainees on the other hand... well... She didn't need to know what a sword in a bumhole looks like. Luckily, Priest Elrothar was there though the man would forever remember the day his bumhole died.

"At least your recruits can hit the target dead-center, even if it was by accident. Mine, on the other hand... "

The two looked down on the training ground to see one of the Elven recruits loose an arrow and managed to go 'over' the target and grazed a mule's behind, causing it to kick back it's legs on an unsuspecting trainee's back and caused said trainee to fall face first on a puddle of mud.

"...you get the point." Sylvanas grumbled under her breath.

Falric chuckled and leaned on the balcony's railing. He knows that with time, these recruits can be great warriors someday. The Captain moved his head to the side to avoid an arrow to the eye. The two of them looked down at the shooter, a black-haired Dark Elf, who was rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

'Someday but not today.' The Captain thought as he let out a small chuckle. Though, Sylvanas' thoughts were a bit different.

'Patience, Sylvanas. You're a Windrunner. Patience.'

At the last second, she and Falric ducked just as a volley of arrows flew past their heads and lodged themselves on the door behind them. Sporting a sneer, she looked over the balcony to see the other recruits looking anywhere but her.

"Are you people trying to kill me!?"

Her frustration leaked through every word and she cod feel a headache coming on. Falric's laughing wasn't helping either.

~Line Break~

"Captain Valerius."

Valerius stood in attention and sheathed his sword when he heard the Prince's voice. Arthas entered the Barracks with Alicia and made their way to the Captain. Valerius bowed his head before looking at Arthas.

"How may I serve you, my Lord?"

"News have reached my ears about a small Black Dogs fort in the forest east of Feoh. I need you and a company of Footmen to find this place and if you can, destroy it. Princess Alicia will be accompanying you with eleven Knights."

"That is too many, my Lord." Valerius shook his head "We can manage with five. Besides, the forest is too dense for the horses to maneuver through. Perhaps if the Knights forego the horses then we could make it work. If we can find this fort that is."

Arthas turned to Alicia who nodded before looking back at the Captain "Then so be it. The Knights have already gathered outside, Captain. Before you destroy that fort, see if you can find any information about the ongoings in the East."

"As you wish, my Lord."

~Line Break~

An hour later, the company left the borders of Feoh and traveled East. They marched through the forest, navigating through the trees and shrubbery in hopes of finding the Black Dogs fort. Another hour had passed and the company still had no luck of finding the place. Two more hours passed before the company found a clearing with a stream nearby. The Captain suggested on building a camp and a perimeter around it, saying everyone could use the little break and a base camp.

Alicia sighed as she took off her helmet and set it down on the tree stump. Watching the stream, she noticed a glove float by and narrowed her eyes at the sight. She stood up from the stump and followed the stream to it's source, gripping the handle of her sword tightly but did not unsheathe it. She followed the stream further before hearing muffled noises and the sounds of water crashing ahead. She ducked behind some shrubbery and pushed asides some leaves to see better.

She saw a waterfall further down and two men, Black Dogs by the looks of it. The two were holding skewered fishes over a firepit. She narrowed her eyes, unaware of the shadow looming over her until it was too late. Suddenly, one arm wrapped around her waist while another covered her mouth.

"Looky here, boys. We got ourselves an uninvited guest."

A third Black Dog pulled her out of cover and dragged her to the other two. Knowing what will happen if she didn't do something. She raised her foot and stomped hard on the mercenary's foot. He let her go in favor of nursing his foot and glared at the Princess Knight only to be knocked out as Alicia punched him in the temple with a surprising amount of strength combined with her steel gauntlet. The mercenary fell back, unconscious, and Alicia turned to the remaining mercenaries who hastily grabbed their weapons.

The Princess Knight drew her sword and dropped into a stance. She glared at the mercenaries and they glared back but had yet to make the first move. They stood there, glaring at each other for a long time until the mercenary with the longsword charged first. Alicia raised her blade and blocked the mercenary's strike and the two locked blades. The other one let out a battlecry as he ran towards them. Alicia grit her teeth before stomping on the mercenary's foot then quickly followed it up by a punch to the gut. She raised her sword and swiftly brought it down, severing the mercenary's head before raising her blade, her other hand grasping the section near the end of her blade, and parried the second mercenary's blow. She quickly smashed the pommel of her blade into his nose, making the mercenary scream in pain and stagger back.

Alicia swung her blade right, pushing the mercenary's weapon to the side before slashing up diagonally, cutting him on the chest before bringing down her sword on his shoulder. He screamed in pain and Alicia pulled her blade free before spinning and decapitating the mercenary. She watched the body fall to the ground in a bloody heap before turning to the unconscious mercenary. She heard the sound of boots running and Captain Valerius, along with three Footmen, burst out of the shrubbery with their swords drawn.

"My Lady, we're here to- "

Valerius stopped as he saw the bloody Princess and the headless corpses of the mercenaries. The Princess Knight smirked and brought a hand on her hip.

"Took you long enough, Captain. All taken care of and I got a prisoner for you too."

The unconscious mercenary groaned and was slowly waking up. Before he could, the Footmen moved and apprehended him. One kicked him on the side to turn him over to his front while the other two grabbed him by the arms and dragged him none too gently back to the company's camp. Valerius looked at Alicia as she wiped the blood off her blade.

"Impressive, my Lady. But I do wonder. Why the heads?"

"Reasons."

~Line Break~

Night had fallen on the forest and the Black Dogs inside the fort were dying of boredom. Two mercenaries, Lawrence and Roy, by the gate were idly chatting about their 'fantasy' while a third one, Robert, was standing guard at the gate's watchtower. Most of the mercenaries in the fort had wondered if they should've left like Norris and his boys. Maybe then they wouldn't have to deal with this boredom. At least they'll be raiding tomorrow morning. They could a girl or two and share it the whole night.

Unbeknownst to the Black Dogs, Lordaeron's Footmen where hidden behind the trees and waiting for their signal. Alicia peeked over the shrubbery and saw the mercenary at the watchtower. She turned to look at a Footman with a bow and arrow and nodded. The Footman nodded back before rising out of cover and aiming at the watchtower. He nocked the arrow and took a deep breath.

Back at the fort, Robert saw something move in the forest and narrowed his eyes to adjust to darkness only to widen as an arrow sailed through the darkness and lodged itself between his eyes. The force of the hit pushed his body back and fall between Lawrence and Roy. The two mercenaries shouted in surprise, causing the rest of the fort to gather over the body.

"What the fuck!?"

"The hell happened to Robert?"

"He got hit by an arrow, genius. Use your fucking eyes!"

Outside, forty Footmen ran out of cover. They gathered outside the gate and formed a shieldwall. They parted to allow the battering ram, carried by ten Footmen, to charge for the gate. The ten Footmen roared as they slammed the battering ram at the wooden gate, causing the mercenaries inside to brace it with their own bodies. The first line of Footmen, including Alicia, held spears instead of the usual swords and held a steady wall of shields and spear. The second to third line, however, used swords instead.

"The gate has been breached!" A Footman yelled as the battering ram crew hefted the heavy log to the side and allowed the shield wall to advance.

"Fire!"

The second to third line of Alicia's Footmen raised their shields over their heads to cover the formation from the rain of arrows. This tortoise formation reduced their advancing speed but protected them from the Black Dogs' missile attacks. Alicia grit her teeth as she felt the arrows lodge themselves in her shield. They were almost there. The gate was broken and open. The Black Dogs were in a sloppy pike formation, still reeling from the surprise attack. Unfortunately for the mercenaries, they left the back gate defenseless for Valerius and his group.

Valerius heard the sounds of battle in the distance and nodded to his troops. He joined nine others in hefting the heavy log and charged at the rear entrance. The battering ram slammed through the gate and they could already see the structure weaken. They did this three more times and the gate gave out. They dropped the log and quickly ran inside the fort. He left ten Footmen to guard the rear entrance while the rest of them flank the enemy from the back. The Captain looked around and noticed most of the tents were abandoned and saw the mercenaries running to the other side of the fort.

"Hand Cannons up, boys."

Back at the front gate, Alicia and her men held a steady line of shields and spears to keep back the mercenaries. Distracting them from Valerius' group as they charged from the back, Hand Cannons drawn and ready to fire. One arrow managed to slip through the shield and graze her neck. The Princess Knight growled before taking her frustration out on the mercenary in front of her by thrusting her spear to his heart and pushing his corpse back with her shield. The first line of Footmen did the same and pushed back the mercenaries. Alicia heard the sound of gunfire and the Black Dogs were surprised as their comrades in the back were shot down by another group of Footmen.

The Captain and his group switched to their swords and formed a wedge. The Footmen pierced the flank of the enemy lines and met the Black Dogs in melee combat. Valerius headbutted a mercenary he was locked blades with and kicked him down. He didn't give him the chance to recover as he switched to a reverse grip and buried his sword in the man's heart. He pulled the blade free and slammed his shield on the back of a Black Dog. The Footman he was fighting seized his opportunity and stabbed the downed mercenary's back.

Alicia's group began advancing slowly on the Black Dogs, pushing them further into Valerius' group. The mercenaries were slowly being encircled as their numbers grew thin. One tried to surrender only for his head to be cut clean off his body. The company continued to slaughter the mercenaries. Some met their end by sword or by spear. Severed limbs and heads or pierced hearts. This continued until only one was left. The Black Dog was cowering on the ground in a fetal position, bathing in the pool of blood on the ground. Sobbing as two Footmen stood over him, waiting for his doom and praying for repentance to the Goddess.

Alicia and Valerius walked over to the cowering Black Dog as the two Footmen kept him from fleeing. Around them, Footmen were taking everything they could find in the tents and piling them up before burning the tents. Valerius nodded for the two to get the mercenary on his feet and the two obeyed, grabbing him roughly by the arm and pulling him up to his feet. As soon as they pulled him up, the Captain noticed the dark spot forming on the man's pants and the smell of piss in the air.

"Alright, you've already embarrassed yourself so try and keep whatever dignity you have left, yes?" Valerius began. His voice flat as he glared at the cowering fool "We need information. Anything about Ansur and Thorn. About the Shrine Maiden and whatever Volt is planning. In exchange, we'll make your end quick and painless. That is if you cooperate but if you don't... "

He grabbed his hand cannon and aimed at the fool's crotch "I'm going to make sure you scream all night from pain until you give us what we want or until your lungs give out... Then I will kill you. Do you understand?"

Alicia's eyes widened in shock at the Captain's methods while the mercenary screamed for forgiveness "Captain, surely there must be another way other than... this?"

"No." Was his answer before grabbing the mercenary by the back of his head and pulled until the sobbing fool was looking at him "Tell me everything I need to know. Now!"

"P-Please... spare me... "

This got the Black Dog a punch in the gut and Valerius pulled his head back again "I will if you tell me what I want to know. Give me every information you know. So tell me!"

Valerius pulled the man's hair back harder, causing pain as the man felt some of his hair pulled out from his scalp. Alicia couldn't stomach it anymore and grabbed the Captain by the arm.

"That's enough!"

Silence fell as everyone in the fort stared at them. She didn't care. She just can't stand and let this go further. When he interrogated the mercenary she apprehended, he only asked questions and left the man tied to a tree. Why is this one different? More brutal.

"I can't let you do this, Captain. This... this isn't right. Prince Arthas told me that Footmen were stoic and honorable. Where is the Honor in this?"

"Honor?" Valerius asked. His voice laced with disbelief "You want to show scum like him Honor? They have no Honor! After everything they've done, what I'm doing to him is nothing compared to what they deserve. Every man, woman and child they hurt. Every innocent people they've killed. Families torn apart. Homes burnt. Have you seen what they've done to women? Do you know what they with do to you? They will break you. Physically and mentally. Trust me when I say that you will break. These scum will show you no mercy. When you think it's over, there will be another and another and another. You are a Knight. You fight the Black Dogs so your people won't have to live in fear because of the atrocities these monsters do. These scum are nothing more than dirt. A stain in Eostia that grows stronger with the suffering of her people and a danger to every Light damned being in this world. Light, these bastards are lower than dirt and I would give everything to see Volt's head on a pike and his body eaten by the crows!"

The two were glaring at each other. The Captain, who was much taller than Alicia, glared down at the Princess Knight who glared in return.

"But even so. No matter how vile they are, we should show Honor above all else even when they are defeated."

Valerius scoffed "Those headless mercenaries say otherwise. I saw it in your eyes. That hidden amount of satisfaction when you looked at your handiwork. Deep down, you enjoyed it. You hate the Black Dogs with every fiber of your being. Your words of Honor is nothing more than excuses to ease the guilt you felt every time you enjoy seeing them suffer and die."

"You lie!"

She pushed him back and drew her sword before striking. The Captain parried the blow with his own blade and the Princess Knight down.

"Your anger is making you sloppy." His voice flat and left no trace of his own anger from before "I've seen you fight better than this."

"SHUT UP!"

Alicia swung her sword upwards and managed to hit the Captain's helmet off and cut him vertically over his right eye. Valerius staggered back and raised his sword just in time lock blades with the Princess. Her eyes burned with anger as she glared at the Captain. Valerius kept a neutral expression despite the bleeding cut on his face. Without warning, he slammed his forehead against hers and pushed her back. He then kneed her in the gut before grabbing her by the shoulder and slamming her on the ground. He placed his foot on her chest and stopped her from getting up. He kicked away her sword as she tried to reach for it before leaning down.

"Enough."

She continued to struggle and began hitting his leg. Tears started to flow out of the corner of her eyes and her movements began to slow until she stopped altogether. Valerius looked up and saw the rest of the company staring at them. Some had reached for their swords but did not draw them. Unsure if they should intervene and stop the Captain from going too far.

"Leave us."

The Footmen were hesitant at first before obeying the order. They grabbed their haul and moved to sort it outside the fort. The Captain waited until they were alone before removing his foot.

"Get up."

Alicia didn't move and Valerius was forced to pull her up to her feet. Even then, she had to lean on him as she sobbed. The Captain wrapped an arm around her tried to soothe her.

"I'm sorry. I went too far. My words. My actions. I'm sorry."

Alicia's sobs quieted down but she refused to look at him "Y-You were right. I did feel satisfaction when I killed them. You were right about my excuses to hide that behind lies about Honor. I just... after the siege... what they almost did to me... what they've done to my people... I couldn't let go. I wanted every single one of them to suffer. But everything I've been thought. Honor, Nobility, Chivalry. It goes against what I feel about the Black Dogs. I didn't want anyone to see this side of me. Full of hate and rage. I-I didn't want Prim to see me like this or Arthas and Jaina. My Knights. My people. What kind of Knight am I to turn away from the very teachings I swore to never break? I horrible one."

"Child." Valerius sighed "You are still young. You have a whole life ahead of you. But remember this, you are Human. You can't always be the perfect Knight. Everyone has their flaws. Yours is the conflicting feelings you have about your rage. It's alright to feel such a thing. You have the choice to control your rage or let it go completely. But if you surrender to it, you will begin to lose yourself in an endless sea of hate. Clouding your choices. It will change you and only when it's too late will you realize the horror of what you've become. 'One's path will always be riddled with despair but surrender to it then you will be nothing more than a pathetic dog. Never cast away hope and live on with pride. Only then will you truly live.' Words passed down to me since I was a boy. Now I pass it to you, child."

Alicia looked to Valerius and saw the Captain was staring at the stars "How do you know this? Have you gone through this pain as well?"

"No... Dark have been my dreams of late. People I care about. Friends, comrades, all became tortured souls in their own way. Losing themselves to desperation, revenge, fear. It felt so real, no, it was real. I fear of what could've been, where all paths lead to pain and death. So much death. I hope and I pray to the Light that it would never come true."

Valerius kept his gaze into the heavens and Alicia joined him. They were silent and peaceful. Alicia would've fallen asleep had it not been for a Footman who ran towards them like Death himself was after him.

"My Lady! Captain!"

Valerius let his arm drop from Alicia and addressed the Footman "What's wrong?"

"The mercenary. He coughed up the information we need. Ansur is Black Dog's territory now and they'll use it to build an army in the East to siege Ken in two fronts. That was the general plan but Volt seemed confident he can conquer Geofu without entering Feoh and Ur's borders and Rad easily. If he does, he'll attack Ken from three sides. With the amount of monsters and mercenaries he has in his army, he hopes to take the city quickly before Lordaeron can intervene. But that's not the most disturbing part, sir."

"What is it?"

"The mercenary said that the Black Dogs never heard from the army they sent to Thorn. When they sent two companies of mercenaries to investigate, only one man made it out alive and retreated to Ansur. All he kept saying was Lok' Tar over and over again."

'Lok' Tar? Wait... Oh no... By the Light. Please, not them.' Valerius thought as he felt something like a cold grip in his heart.

"Did they get anything else from him?"

'Please say no. Please say no.'

The Footman looked down in defeat "Yes... They say he only said it once but they heard it loud and clear."

Valerius dreaded to hear it. Hoped and prayed not to hear it. Alicia, on the other hand, was confused. Why had the Captain froze? And why does the Footman look like he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible?

"What did he say?"

"The Horde is coming."


	7. Might of Lordaeron Ch 7

Night has fallen on the city of Ansur. Once the beautiful city of the Halflings, now nothing more than ruins. The city itself was divided into two by a river. One half controlled by the coalition of the Alliance and Seven Shields while the other was held by the Black Dogs. Three weeks had passed since the Coalition took back half of the city and still the two opposing forces were at a stalemate. The Black Dogs refused to loose another city in the East and fought tooth and nail to keep it in their hands. Within the first week, an earthquake hit and left a trench that divided the city in two. It was followed soon after by a heavy storm, flooding the trench and creating the river. The floor of the river is made up of debris and the bodies of those unfortunate enough to got caught during the quake and the storm.

The Coalition forces took to calling it Billy's River. He hated the river. Drowned after proclaiming that he wouldn't slip and fall. He did. Knocked his head on a rock and was dragged down the river. His comrades started to investigate after he didn't return from his piss break. All they found was his dented helmet. If anyone asked, they would say he was probably lucky that he died. At least he was in the Light's embrace. He didn't have to deal with the shit in the living world anymore.

Anyway, the river stopped the two forces from clashing swords but it didn't stop them from trading arrows back and forth, not making any progress whatsoever. They would've built boats but the river was too large to cross and too open. They will all be riddled with arrows before they could even land on the other side.

Sylvanas eyed the Black Dog's side of the city from balcony of the watchtower. They set out patrols and groups of Footmen and Rangers on the shore to keep watch of the river and be the first line of defense. Reinforcements for the Black Dogs would be here soon but the Coalition was still busy training soldiers before they could be sent out. The former Queen of the Mercenaries wasn't joking when she said the Black Dog's numbers were massive. For all their losses, the Black Dog's seemed to have more men to spare. The Ranger-General wondered how much influence Volt had to muster such a large amount mercenaries under his thumb. Her thoughts were interrupted when Falric joined her, offering a bowl of soup and a small chalice filled with water.

"Anything?" The Captain asked as he sat on the crate beside her, looking at the other side of the city. The men were either sleeping, eating, keeping watch or patrolling. Nearly a month had passed since they came to this damned city and still no progress. He was starting to think they were gonna live here now if this stalemate kept going.

"Nothing." Sylvanas replied with a shake of her head "No lights. No movement. Not even a sound. I don't like this. Are the men alert?"

"Most of them." The Captain replied with a sigh "The others are taking first watch and the others are taking a break but I had told them to stay alert just in case."

Falric stood up and walked towards the High-Elf. He stopped beside her and looked pass the Black Dog's side of the city "Do you think the Horde will actually keep to themselves?"

"I'm unsure. Frankly, I don't care. As long as they stay out of our war, they're not our problem." The Ranger-General took out an arrow and twirled it around her fingers "These Dogs on the other hand... "

Falric simply hummed in agreement before taking a sip from his waterskin. They stayed for there for a few moments, watching the river before Falric went inside to eat. He looked over his shoulder at the High-Elf "Come inside, my Lady. Dinner is ready."

Sylvanas scoffed "And by dinner, you mean the one measly bowl of soup we share and water. No thanks. I'm not hungry. Besides, the sun would rise in two hours."

Of course, her stomach took that as it's cue to rumble loudly. This made the Captain chuckle and the Ranger-General's cheeks to redden slightly.

"Actually, it's TWO bowls of soup and I think your stomach disagrees with you. Come, my Lady. The Ranger-General cannot fight with an empty stomach."

"Tch... Fine."

~Line Break~

One Hour Later

Footman Clement whistled to himself as he watched the river through a window of a broken down house, the rest of his team were a floor below. It was almost time for the next watch and he couldn't wait to finally get some sleep. Maybe he should get something to eat first.

Yawning, Clement looked out the window and saw a fog was starting to creep in. His ears picked up a faint sound from the river.

"What the... "

He heard another sound, this time from above. He looked up just in time for an arrow to lodge itself into his eye.

~Line Break~

Minutes Earlier

"Hmm. This Nathanos fellow must be very important for you to go through such lengths for him. Do I smell a romance in there, my Lady?"

"Maybe." Sylvanas muttered as she looked at the wine filled chalice in her hand. When did they switch from water to wine? Whatever. She wasn't complaining. She smirked mischievously and looked at the Captain "Jealous?"

"Uh, no, my Lady. It was... just a question."

The two were currently inside the watchtower. They had finished dinner and fell into a small conversation about... anything, really. Somewhere down the road, Falric noticed the crate he was sitting on was filled with wine bottles. He decided to indulge himself for tonight. Pretty soon, he wasn't the only one drinking the wine. He suddenly found himself a drinking partner for the night in the form of Ranger-General Sylvanas. Not once in his life did he ever thought he would be doing this. Then again, they were in another world so...

"What happened to him?"

"He's safe... I hope." Sylvanas downed her wine before pouring another "What about you, Captain. I heard you were a farmer before you became a soldier. Is that true?"

"Not exactly. My father wanted me to be a farmer but I was young then, foolish. Filled with dreams of serving the King through battle and maybe get a little bit of gold and glory on the side." Falric chuckled as he remembered his younger days "So when I was of age, I enlisted to the Royal Guard. That was when I met Prince Arthas. He always spent time with his soldiers. Seeing them as friends rather than people he could order around. It was then I knew I would lay down my life for him. Obligation or not. Actually, now that I think about it. I got what I asked for in the end. I got to serve the King in battle during the Second War and got my taste of glory. But the pay. Oh, don't get me started on the pay. You'd think they'd pay you more for the constant danger you're put through. Cheap bastards, really."

As soon as he finished the bit about pay, the Captain downed the rest of the wine bottle. Sylvanas smirked in amusement at that. Wherever she go, she would always hear Footmen complain about the 'lousy pay'. Be it in battle, in the barracks or every where, really. She remembered seeing a Footman hauled in the infirmary, an arrow on one knee and a severed leg on the other. Despite his severe injuries, the only complaint he had was: 'They don't pay me enough for this'.

A comfortable silence fell upon them. Just drinking and talking. If asked, she would blame Maia's flirtatiousness rubbing off on her after spending three months with the Queen of the Mercenaries. She would also blame the amount of wine they consumed.

"Well, Captain. I think it's time for dessert, don't you think?"

Falric set the bottle down on the table and raised an eyebrow "Dessert, my Lady? I... don't think we have any cakes or the like here."

"Oh, don't play dumb. A candlelit dinner, complete with wine and small talk."

She stood up and walked closer to the Captain, purposely putting a little more sway in her hips as she approached. She leaned down, glad that his helmet was off, and whispered to his ear "Too bad we don't have a bed but the floor will do."

Sylvanas laughed as the Captain, faster than he had ever moved before, jumped out of his seat and moved away from her. Falric realized she was just teasing and sighed in annoyance. Although, he did wonder what brought this side of the Ranger-General out. The wine wasn't that strong. He won't admit it but he did find himself mesmerized with the way she she swayed her hips. That was something he would take to his grave and no amount of torture is going to get it out of him. His eyes suddenly narrowed when he saw the Ranger-General stiffen and noticed her ear twitched. Her expression grew series and she stepped out on the balcony.

Falric knew something was wrong and quickly grabbed his helmet and weapons. He stood beside her and looked towards the river. The two saw the massive fog that was slowly creeping into their side of the city. Then they saw it. A volley of arrows shot up from the fog and hit the area where they set up the patrols. They saw that most of the men were caught in the volley while the ones that didn't immediately went to find cover. Sylvanas knew the river was wide. The volley must've come from the middle of it. She narrowed her eyes and noticed hundreds of faint lights inside the fog and more were appearing as the fog neared their side.

"They're using the fog to cover their approach. They made it halfway through the river before they sent out the volley." She then turned to Falric "Get as much men as you can to the southern shore. Find Maia and tell her to the same to the northern shore. I'll handle the ones here. Go!"

"Yes, my Lady!"

Falric quickly ran down the tower's stairs to gather his men. Sylvanas narrowed her eyes as she saw the survivors from the arrow rain hide themselves behind pillars and walls. They were trying to catch the enemy off guard should they hit the shore. Sylvanas grabbed her bow and used it to zip down the rope she had the men attach to the tower. She dropped down to the ground and landed with a roll. Surprising some of the Footmen in the area. Turning to them, she quietly issued orders.

"Footmen, grab your swords. Go to the shore and find a hiding spot. Pillars, debris, anything. Rangers, follow my lead. Find high ground and fire a volley to the river on my command. Footmen, wait and ambush the Dogs if they ever land on the shores. Understand?"

Sounds of affirmative greeted her and she nodded for them to move.

~Line Break~

"Come on. Hurry."

"Here they come."

"Move it, Kenworthy."

"Go, go, go."

"This spot is full go to the next one."

"Move your fat arse."

"Quiet! All of you!"

Captain Falric quietly yelled to his men as his around the area to ambush the Black Dogs. They had to leave the dead to where they were struck. It would give the Dogs the idea that their volley had taken out the patrols. Say what you will about their numbers, most of them are just lechers who follow orders to whoever was the top dog. They don't think for themselves unless it involved rape and pillage and whatever their dark hearts desire.

Falric looked to the center and saw the arrows flying towards the fog. Right to were he could barely see the torches. The Captain leaned back into the pillar when he heard the boats hit land. Heavy thuds and splashes were heard in the silent night as the Black Dogs disembarked from their boats. He could hear swords being drawn and the mutterings of the mercenaries as they wonder where the Coalition forces were. Falric looked down and as soon as he saw the foot, jumped out of cover. The man let out a yelp before being run through by a sword. Falric pushed the body off his blade and charged at the Black Dogs.

"For Lordaeron!"

"FOR LORDAERON!"

The waiting Footmen jumped out of their hiding place and met the mercenaries in swordfight. One of the Footmen tackled a mercenary to the ground and brought them both down to the water where the soldier proceeded to drown the man. A second Black Dog ran behind the Footman and slammed a rock on his head. Before he could do more damage, a sword burst out of his chest. His body was pushed down to the river. The ambush worked. The Black Dogs were caught off guard by it but the Falric and his men knew this was only the first wave. More are bound to arrive. They just have to hold them. For how long? Depends on how the battle goes.

Falric roared as he cut down a Black Dog's head. He kicked the kneeling body down before parrying a blow meant for his head and punched the attacker in the face. He picked up a discarded sword on the ground and buried it in the mercenary's abdomen. The man yelled in pain before the Captain stabbed his other sword in his heart. He kicked the body off the blades and looked around him. The Black Dogs were dwindling, the first wave at least. As long as they keep them on the shore, the city won't be lost.

"RRRRRAAAAAGGGHHHH!"

Falric turned to the source of the roar and saw a very large boat that had an ogre on it emerging from the fog. It roared once more as it flailed it's club in the air before jumping off the vessel when it hit land. The beast swung it's club and took out a group of Footmen. It turned it's attention to another group and jumped into the air, using it's body to crush the unfortunate soldiers. One brave Footman roared as he charged the downed beast only for the ogre to grab the soldier before rising to it's feet. The ogre roared before biting the Footman's head. The beast swung it's club around as the Footmen tried to swarm it. The ogre roared and proceeded to eat the rest of the dead Footman's body while killing the others with it's club.

Falric glared at the beast before running towards it. He ran under the beast and used his swords to cut the beast in the legs. The ogre roared in pain and tried to grab the Captain. Falric saw his opportunity and jumped on the beast's arm when it tried to grab him. He climbed up it's arm until he reached the beast's head. It tried to shake him off or swat him away but the Captain remained unhindered. He buried the blade he took from the ground on its skull, causing the ogre to roar in pain. Falric steadied himself as he stood up and raised his sword high in the sky. He roared before plunging it deep into the ogre's skull, almost burying the blade to it's hilt.

The ogre slowly dropped it's club as it stared blankly ahead before falling to it's knees. Falric pulled his blade free and jumped off the beast as it fell face first into the ground. He let out deep breaths as he looked around the battlefield. The ogre gave all the Black Dogs the time they need for the second wave to arrive. His men were slowly getting overrun. They cannot hold the southern shore for long but that doesn't mean they would let the Dogs take it so easily.

Falric took a discarded shield and ran towards the shore, his torn up cape billowing in the air as he charged at a boat filled with Black Dogs that just hit land. Several Footmen that had finished their kill saw their Captain's charge and followed after him, all of them yelling out battle cries.

"Rrrraaggghhh!"

~Line Break~

Maia kneed a Black Dog in the groin, causing the man to scream on the top of his lungs and fall to his knees. The Queen of the Mercenaries spun the dagger in her hands for show before plunging it on the back of the Black Dog's neck. She was fascinated with the amount of blood spraying out of the wound when she pulled the dagger out, not noticing the blood that was staining her leotard.

The redhead ducked under a second mercenary's swing and quickly thrust her sword up his abdomen. She pulled the blade out and sent a spinning back kick on the side of the man's head, sending him unconscious on the ground. She didn't need to finish him. She would just let the Black Dog bleed to death. Maia looked towards the shore and cursed when the seemingly endless amounts of Black Dog boats emerged from the fog.

They were caught with their pants down on this one. Hers was more in the literal sense. When the volley of arrows hit, Maia was in the middle of 'self-stimulation'. You can imagine how red she was when she had to order her soldiers around in a hastily put on leotard. She had accidentally left her chaps back in her tent in her hurry to make herself at least presentable. At least she didn't forget her weapons.

Knights passed by the redhead as she looked at the shore. A silver haired Knight, Justinia, noticed her commander staring off into the river and grabbed her arm "My Lady, what's wrong?"

"We can't hold this area forever. My gut's screaming at me that this is all of them. All five thousand of them. Two months since the river's creation is enough time for them to make as many boats as they can. This fog was just the thing they need to launch a full assault without getting pelted with arrows. If the fog had came from our side, we could've done the same."

"But we're barely half of their numbers, my Lady. Even if we attacked them with their guard down, they'll regroup and overwhelm us." Justinia argued.

"Damn." Maia cursed "You're right about that. And we'll be sitting ducks if we fall back and cross the river. Guess luck's on their side this time. Fucking bastards."

"Come, my Lady. We must hold them back for as long as we can. If we can't, we'll must fall back to Lady Sylvanas' position."

Maia nodded before the two joined the fight. The Queen of the Mercenaries parried a strike from a Black Dog. He tried to punch her but she raised her sword and the man's hand met the blade, nearly cutting his hand in two. Maia kicked the side of his knee before thrusting her knife on the side of his head. She pulled her blades free and kicked the body down. She heard a battle cry behind her and turned around just in time to see Justinia shoulder bash the man, sending them both to the ground.

The Knight groaned as she tried to rise to her feet. She saw the Black Dog beside her getting up as well and quickly plunged her blade into his chest. She got to her feet and pulled her sword from the body before letting out a sigh of relief. She turned to Maia and asked "Are you alright, my Lady?"

Maia nodded before running to the Knight and pushing her out of the way of a sword. The redhead flipped her dagger into a reverse grip and buried it between the shoulder and the neck. Without letting the blade go, she kneed him on the abdomen followed by another to the face before using her sword to sever the man's head. She took back her dagger as the body fell to it's knees before hitting the ground. She then turned to the Knight.

"You good?"

"Thank you, my Lady."

Before Maia could say anything else, an arrow struck her on her left hip. The redhead screamed in pain and the Knight ran to her side. Justinia grabbed Maia and dragged her towards a broken structure. She set her down gently before looking at the arrow sticking out of the redhead's hip.

"I don't have any bandages, my Lady."

Maia grunted before tearing the right sleeve of her leotard and handing it to the Knight.

"Use this."

The Knight nodded and untied the string she used to tie her hair. She grabbed hold of the arrow's shaft and looked at the redhead. Maia nodded and Justinia pulled the arrow as hard and fast as she can. She quickly used the torn sleeve as a bandage and used the string to tie it in place.

"This should hold for a while but we must get you back to Lady Sylvanas' position. There is a healer there, my Lady."

"Alright, let's- "

"RRRRRAAGGGGHH!"

The two looked outside and saw two Ogres jump off their boats. They began wreaking havoc on Maia's forces and cursed. The Black Dogs that they managed to hold off began attacking with renewed vigor. The ogres were a huge morale booster for the Dogs but sent a small shiver of doubt in her men. Doubt that they'll be able go keep the Dogs back. Gritting her teeth, not in pain but in frustration, she looked to Justinia.

"Fall back. Tell the others to fall back to Sylvanas. To the watchtower. The north shore is lost."

"As you wish, my Lady."

The Knight ran outside and yelled on the top of her lungs.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK TO THE WATCHTOWER!"

~Line Break~

Ken

Arthas looked around the city as he made his way to the city's palace. Behind him, Jaina was having a very hushed conversation with Prim. Something about attractions on the same sex. He toned it out, knowing it was something private. It was probably why the pinkette insisted on taking the less populated route to the palace. He and Alicia, on the other hand, were talking about adding more Knights to their ranks or just cavalry really. Their conversation then turned to why Steel Forged Swords had a certain blue glow to it. Honesty, Arthas had no clue. It was something the Princess Knight should ask to the Dwarves. They were the ones in charge of the city's weapons, armor, etc.

"Father Elrothar said that the Light has the power to bring people back from the dead. Is that true?"

"Yes and no."

The answer made Alicia look up at the Prince with a raised eyebrow "What does that mean?"

"Well, the Light can bring someone back to life but those who have been dead for a long time cannot. Paladins call this miracle 'Redemption'. Though, I'm not sure how you get demptioned the first time. Hahaha."

Alicia's eye twitched at that. Good at fighting, great leadership skills and more. She has a list of things she admired about the Prince but if there was one thing she didn't admire so much was when Arthas would try to crack jokes. For example, the time he tried to cheer a sick Prim by acting like a pirate. 'Ahoy there, land lover. What be yer name? Mine is Argh-thas. Get it? Argh-thas.'

She didn't know whether Prim laughed out of pity or actually found it funny. She prayed it wasn't the latter. Goddess knows she's going to loose her sanity if Prim starts telling jokes like that. She remembered how long Jaina's eye twitched at hearing said joke. A lot of the Footmen wondered why the Prince was found sleeping by the Barracks that night.

The four soon found themselves at the palace gates. They were met by Olga's right hand woman, Chloe. A platinum blonde Half-Elf who was either at her Dark Queen's side or hiding in the shadows. She led them through the halls and up the stairs until they reached the citadel. They were told to wait while she fetched Ladies Celestine and Olga, muttering something bitterly that sounded vaguely like 'What does she see in her?'. The four were left to their own devices until the two Elves arrived.

Arthas went to the balcony that overlooked the city and took in the sight. It was beautiful to be honest. He felt someone lean their head on his shoulder and looked down to see Jaina. The Archmage was enjoying the view as well. Feoh's castle overlooked the city as well but it was more of a traditional castle. The beauty wasn't shown outside but rather inside. The outside of the castle showed the Alliance banners. Footmen patrol it's walls. Rangers and Riflemen were positioned on it's watchtowers. Ballistas mounted on top of the walls. The castle itself was guarded by former elite Kul'Tiras Marines, now named Proudmoore Royal Guard. This palace had very few defenses which the two found odd since it's supposed to be the capital of the Seven Shields.

As the two adults admired the sights, Alicia and Prim started conversing about Luu-Luu's incessant argument to send for more soldiers to Ansur. The two Princess Knights can understand the Halfling's want to retake her city but the Alliance were stretched thin as they were. Her forces were split into three. One to defend Feoh, the other to reinforce Rad and the last was the battlegroup sent to take back Ansur. The Alliance even sent one of her leaders to see to it that victory can be assured. Unfortunately, they underestimated the cunning of the Black Dogs and their numbers.

~Line Break~

Ansur

Sylvanas shot an arrow at the charging mercenary, hitting him right in the thigh and forced him to drop down on one knee. She jumped and used his shoulders as a boost to jump higher just as two more mercenaries tried to surround her. While in the air, she fired two arrows on one of the Black Dogs, hitting him on the forehead and mouth, before landing on the ground with a roll. She stopped and, without looking, fired another arrow that struck the second Black Dog right in the eye. She rose to her feet and scaled the wall of what remained of a building. She hopped over and landed on the second floor before looking over the battlefield.

They had been fighting for more than an hour now. Maia and her forces fell back to her location, reported that the north shore and that part of the city was lost. Falric hadn't retreated and the runner she sent reported to her that his forces were still fighting though they would be overrun soon.

Sylvanas cursed when looked to the river. The sun had risen and the fog had lifted, revealing the hundreds of boats crossing the river. She'd bet that this was the two to three thousand Black Dogs from the other side of the city. Their final assault to finally take Ansur. They wouldn't be able to hold them for long. The Coalition forces had two thousand at first but lost five hundred on the initial attack. Add more when they took over half the city and the earthquake. They were outnumbered but the newly formed river kept them at a stalemate. But now...

The High-Elf grit her teeth and shot an arrow directly into an ogre's eye. The beast roared and staggered back, giving her Rangers time to fire a volley on the beast to kill it. Despite it's death, the Black Dogs were pushing her Footmen back. Sylvanas heard sounds below her and looked down. Five Black Dogs were sneaking about, intent on flanking her Rangers that were firing volley after volley towards the shore.

The Ranger-General pulled two, curved daggers from their sheathes strapped to her thighs. Without making a sound, she jumped over the wall of the building and landed on the Black Dog that was further back from the group, plunging her daggers into his neck when she landed. She quickly cut the Black Dog beside her on the back of the foot, forcing him to scream before his throat was cut open. The others turned around and saw their comrades' death at the hands of the High-Elf and charged. Sylvanas threw one of her daggers and struck the nearest one in the eye. She threw the other one and hit him on the leg. The High-Elf stood up and spun to the side to dodge the last mercenary before using her bow to club him on the back of the head.

The mercenary fell face down on the ground before Sylvanas fired an arrow to the back of his head. She turned around and fired another arrow to the injured Black Dog and struck him on the throat. She walked over to the bodies and pulled her daggers from their corpses before running to her Rangers. She merged with their line and nocked an arrow.

"Volley!"

A rain of arrows sailed above the battlefield and hit the Black Dogs that were exiting their boat. One by one, they fell to the Rangers but another boat hit the shore and dropped more mercenaries.

"Volley!"

Another volley of arrows struck the Black Dogs but some used the bodies of their dead as meat shields. They reached the line of Footmen that were holding back the mercenaries from reaching Sylvanas and her Rangers.

From the corner of the High-Elf's eye, she saw soldiers retreating from the south of the city. Footmen joined the line of her Footmen's shield wall while others formed a perimeter for the other soldiers to retreat. A Footman Sergeant ran towards her.

"Milady, the south shore is lost. We had to pull back. Captain Falric stayed behind to cover our retreat."

Nodding to the Footman, she turned to her Rangers "The nine of you, with me! The rest of you, stay here and open fire on those Dogs!"

Without another word, she ran towards the south. Squeezing through the retreating Footmen.

'Damn that fool.'

~Line Break~

Falric grunted as he parried another blow from the Black Dog and kneed the man in the groin. He quickly ended his life by chopping off his head before turning to the last of his retreating forces. Seeing as he was the last one, he ran towards his Footmen. One of them tripped and the Captain quickly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up.

"Don't stop! Get back to the watchtower!"

He looked over his shoulder and saw ten Black Dogs closing in on him. Behind them were the rest of the Black Dogs, weapons raised as they roared in victory. The banner of the Alliance the Coalition set up was taken down and replaced with the Black Dog's.

'Damn it.'

He turned the corner to see Sylvanas and nine Rangers aiming at him with their bows drawn.

"Move!"

Falric quickly dove to the side at her command and the Rangers released their arrows, hitting their mark and killing the Black Dogs that were chasing him as they turned the corner. The Captain looked at the arrow riddled bodies and looked up to see Sylvanas glaring at him.

"You owe me."

She held out her hand for him to take. Falric didn't know what made him do it but he gave her a smirk and said "Will another candlelit dinner do?"

The High-Elf raised an eyebrow before shaking her head. Falric sighed and shrugged before taking the offered hand and stood up "Well, I tried."

Before he could move away she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close "If we live after this, I'll hold you to that."

She shoved him away and ordered her Rangers to move back to the watchtower. Falric watched her go before shaking his head and running after them. That wasn't something he expected. Oh, well.

Soon, the group returned to the watchtower. Whatever's left of their forces formed a perimeter and held off the Black Dogs. He spotted Sylvanas in the center and made his way towards her. She was speaking to Maia and Justinia and Falric heard a bit of their conversation.

"..the horses. Get the wounded out first. Once they're safe, we make for Rad. We lost."

'Damn it. Three months we held this city. Good men died here for nothing. Damn these Black Dogs!'

When the other two left, Sylvanas turned to Falric "We can't hold them. The city is lost. I had the wounded retreat first then the rest of us. In the meantime, we'll give them time to escape."

"Understood."

Falric ran towards the front lines that was unfortunately breached. He took a discarded heater shield with the symbol of Lordaeron painted on the front from a Footman's corpse, muttering a short apology before entering the fray. The Captain ran a Black Dog through the side of his abdomen and forced him on one knee. Falric struck the mercenary on the face with his shield again and again before bashing him with the front to knock the body down. He parried a blow from a second one with his shield before kicking the man and sent him on his back on the ground. He switched to a reverse grip and plunged the blade down the mercenary's heart before pulling the sword free.

Breathing heavily, Falric ran towards a Black Dog before leaping into the air. He brought his sword down and lodged the blade in the mercenary's head as he landed. He turned to his left gave another mercenary an uppercut that sent the man dazed to the ground. He jumped in the air and dropped his knee on the man's head, the poleyn and his weight bashed the Black Dog's face in. The Captain rose to his feet and swung his sword towards a mercenary who had his back on Falric. The sword connected to the man's clavicle before being pulled off. The Black Dog turned around, screaming in pain while swinging his axe wildly at Falric.

The Captain casually walked backwards to avoid the swings before thrusting his blade into the man's chest when the mercenary left himself open. The Black Dog dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, raising his arms as he tried to grab Falric. The Captain shoved the man's hand away before stomping his boot on the man's back, crushing his spine. Falric suddenly felt an enormous amount of pain on his temple and found himself staring at the ground. He blinked and heard a man yell before rolling to the side to avoid a gruesome end via axe.

He looked up to his attacker raise his weapon once more to deliver the finishing blow but Falric kicked the man's knee, hearing a loud crack as it bent on an odd angle. The Captain rose to a kneeling position and severed the man's leg, watching him fall to the ground. Falric stood up before switching to a reverse grip and plunging his blade down the man's throat. He pulled his sword free and looked around him. They were being overrun.

Arrows suddenly flew past his head and struck the Black Dogs. He turned towards the source of the volley and saw Sylvanas and the Rangers prepping another volley.

"Fall back to the western gate!" The Ranger-General yelled "The wounded have retreated. Fall back!"

Falric breathed heavily before turning to the Footmen "Well? You heard her, men. Move!"

The Footmen finished off whoever they were fighting or simply kicked them away before retreating. Falric brought one mercenary down before running towards Sylvanas. Once he joined her, he turned his gaze towards the advancing Black Dogs. They were being slowed down thanks to the Rangers constantly firing arrows at them but the Dogs would reach them soon. Sylvanas had already ordered some of them to fall back. She looked towards Falric and saw him standing still while looking at the enemy. She walked over to him and grabbed him by the arm.

"We must leave now while we still have time!" She tried to drag him by the arm but the Captain didn't move.

"There's no time. We'll be overrun even if we leave now." Falric replied without emotion. He turned to the High-Elf "I'll hold them off for as long as I can. YOU must go."

Sylvanas felt her mouth drop slightly before settling to a sneer "Are you an idiot!? They will tear you apart. You'll be dead before you can even land a hit!"

"You are a leader of the Alliance, my Lady. Your life is worth more than mine." Falric argued. His voice unchanging.

Before she could argue back, Falric had already pulled his arm off her grip and ran towards the Black Dogs. He let out a battle cry as he leapt in the air and thrust his sword, running his blade through the throat of a mercenary. He pulled the blade free and raised his shield to block an attack from his left before kicking another mercenary from his right. Someone struck him on the back of his head and threw off his helmet. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and ran his sword through the man's abdomen before slamming his forehead against the mercenary's.

Falric drummed his sword to his shield as he taunted the mercenaries. One ran towards him and the Captain crouched under the swing and cut the man's abdomen open, causing a the intestines to flow out of the large wound. Falric rose to his feet and thrust his sword into another mercenary's gut. He headbutt the Black Dog before turning to the rest.

"Come on! Is that all you got!?"

Falric blocked an attack and used his shield to push the Black Dog back. He stabbed him in the gut before stabbing the man's throat and pushing the body away. Another tried to attack him but ended up getting a knee to the balls and falling on all fours. The Captain turned around sliced a Black Dog's hand off before cutting the man's thigh, forcing him on one knee before finishing him off by plunging the sword down the mercenary's nape and out the throat. After pulling his sword free, Falric turned to the Black Dog that was still on all fours and kicked him hard in the gut. The force of the blow threw the mercenary to his back before a sword pierced his heart.

The Captain let out tired breaths. He was down on one knee as he looked up at the army of mercenaries. Light, he prayed he bought them enough time. Pulling his sword free, he staggered a bit when he stood up. He was swaying a bit but he still had more fight in him. He wasn't going to give up that easily. He was about to charge again but stopped when 'stars' began to fall from the sky and crash right into the ranks of the Black Dogs. He turned around and saw Sylvanas riding a white stallion.

Falric looked up at the High-Elf as the glow in her eyes slowly dimmed as 'Starfall' ended. Sylvanas glared down at the Captain "You still owe me dinner, Captain. Don't think you can get away that easily."

This made Falric chuckle before the Ranger-General gestured for him to ride with her. Falric sighed before doing what he was told and climbed up the saddle. The two rode away from the Black Dogs and fell back to the western gate, where their remaining forces were waiting for them. Falric looked over his shoulder and saw the Black Dogs were slowly starting to recover. He wrapped one arm around Sylvanas' waist while the other held his weapon. They were almost to the gate, where they could see their troops waiting on horseback for them. Suddenly, Falric felt a sharp pain on his back as two arrows struck him. Both missiles had somehow penetrated his armor but only one succeeded in penetrating his skin. The Captain screamed in pain as he felt not only the pain of the arrow's tip but a slow, searing pain began creeping up his back.

Sylvanas nearly jumped at the sudden pain-filled scream and looked over her shoulder just in time to see Falric fall off the horse. She quickly jumped off and ran to the Captain's side. She turned him on his side and saw the two arrows sticking out the back of his armor. One was deeper than the other. She pulled said arrow and saw the black substance dripping from the tip of it.

'Poison.'

She looked down at the Captain and saw that he was letting out shallow breaths. She brought a hand on his forehead and felt his body temperature burn her palm. Fast acting poison. They need to get to Rad and get him to a Priest, fast. She quickly took pieces of his armor off and ripped his cape, tying it tightly around his wound as a makeshift bandage. She whistled for her horse before lifting the Captain with great effort. She hauled his body on the saddle before climbing up on the horse and spurred it to run. They need to get to Rad fast. She prayed to the Light that he would make it. Damn if she would let this mine die on her watch.

~Line Break~

Arthas looked down on his chalice as Lady Celestine and Lady Olga relayed to them of the event that transpired. The Horde were willing to set up trade with the Seven Shields and Alliance as long as they stay away from the Horde and their new home of Ogrimmar, formerly known as the city of Thorn. In exchange, they would rid Ansur of the Black Dogs and given back to the Halflings but the city will be neutral, once it's rebuilt of course. All trades will be held in Ansur whether they be from the Horde, Alliance or Seven Shields. A trading post that caters to the three. The Warchief of the Horde had extended this invitation to the Alliance in hopes that there will be no more unnecessary bloodshed. Besides, they had a common enemy of sorts.

Ever since the Horde had taken Thorn, they had seen the actions done by the Black Dogs and they were informed by Thorn's citizens of Volt's intent to conquer Eostia. Such acts had disgusted the Orcs and had made sure to kill any Black Dogs that dare enter their territory. In their eyes, if you are a Black Dog then you're dead. No prisoners, no mercy. Despite that, the Horde will only engage the Black Dogs if they trespass Horde territory. Anything beyond their borders was not their problem. Ansur being the exception.

The Prince contemplated on this. It was a good opportunity really. They had already agreed to a Nonaggression Pact with the Horde, might as well get some trade in. Though he did have to wonder what the Orcs were willing to trade other than food and whatnot. Bone necklaces? War Axes? Horned helmets? A big sword to place on an amputee's stump? The skull of a dead old Orc? Maybe a shield that protects you from death itself? Unlikely.

Arthas shook his head as he realized that the others were staring at him. Woops, he must've zoned out. Smiling apologetically, he asked "Uh, what were we talking about?"

Jaina sighed and leaned back on her chair, rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance. Of course he'd zone out. Prim brought a hand to her mouth to stiffled her laughter while Alicia wondered if her eye would ever stop twitching. Olga simply glared at the Prince while Celestine mirrored Prim's actions. In the shadows, Chloe wondered how this was the man those refugees kept praising as a hero. Sighing, Jaina turned towards him.

"Lady Celestine and Olga asked you if you were willing to accept the Horde's offer."

"Perhaps. But what about you? Do you have any objections to this?"

The Archmage shrugged "If you decide to accept then I'll back your decision. You've led us this far, why start doubting now? Besides, the Orcs brought back the Shrine Maiden. Alive, unfortunately, spoiled. The Black Dogs had gotten to her before the Orcs arrived in Thorn. They've done something to her and found out that the Shrine Maiden was to be made into a breeding stock for some insect-like abominations."

"What they'd do?"

"The Orcs gave the abominations' creator to the people of Thorn." Olga replied "The Warchief declared that he will answer to the people of Thorn and the people were not happy. Tell me, Prince Arthas. Have you ever seen a man get torn to pieces? They started with the legs then the arms then finally the head. It amazes me how rage can turn 'innocent people' into primal beasts. They tore him apart like wild animals fighting over their kill."

Celestine's mouth quivered as her face slowly turned green. She had heard it before but that doesn't mean she liked hearing it again. The same cold be said to Prim as she covered her mouth with her hands to keep herself from puking. Alicia was indifferent. Feeling what was done to the Dog was justified. Arthas remained silent, sharing Alicia's indifference. Jaina remained composed. She had heard it the first time as well and tried not to have a repeat of her reaction.

Olga noticed the Goddess Incarnate's expression and once more held her hand, running circles with her thumb on the back of Celestine's hand. Though she kept her expression neutral. Since when did she started getting touchy with the ditzy High-Elf?

Arthas, who had finished his wine, stood up. Everyone watched him as he walked over to the balcony. The Prince's eyes found themselves heading east. Lady Windrunner, Lady Maia and Captain Falric had been in that city for three months. With reinforcements low, troops were still being trained and the bulk of their forces were split, there was no way they could help them. Perhaps letting the Horde handle Ansur is for the best. He'll just have to send a letter to Sylvanas and order them to return to Rad to rest before returning to Feoh. A messenger bird landed on his shoulder and Arthas gently took the scroll tied to it's leg. He could feel his hands tremble with rage before letting out a calming breath. The message read:

'Ansur is lost. Three hundred are left. Preparing siege defenses on Rad in case of Black Dogs. Falric wounded, poison. Will live. ~Windrunner'

~Line Break~

Sylvanas stopped twirling the dagger in her hands when she heard Falric stir. The Ranger-General was leaning back on her chair while her feet rested on a second chair. Beside her was a bed occupied by the poisoned Captain. They were currently in a guest room inside of Rad's Great Hall. The Great Hall was nearly empty. The servants had returned to the Servant House beside the Great Hall. The only ones their were the two of them, Maia and the Knights tasked to guard the Great Hall.

Sylvanas gently helped the Captain sit up as he tried to gather his bearings. Falric felt like he just went to one of the boy's drinking contests and drank a barrel's worth of ale. His whole body felt like shit. The Ranger-General grabbed the waterskin on the drawer next to the bed and handed it to the Captain.

"Drink up. You've been out for hours."

"W-What hour is it?"

"The hour is late, Captain. The sun had set and the moon has taken it's place high in the night sky. That poison would've killed you sooner if we hadn't reached Rad in time." She took the waterskin from his hands and felt the whole thing was empty. She set it back down on top of the drawer before turning back to Falric "You need rest. The healer barely kept you alive. It was lucky that a Ranger knew what type of poison you've been hit with. He found the herbs needed to cure you from the poison."

"I should thank him sometime."

"No, you won't." Sylvanas replied with a shake of her head "The man disappeared. He wasn't even one of mine. No one in Rad knows him. All we know is that he was looking for an inn. I forgot the name but it had the word 'pony' in it."

Falric grunted before trying to stand up. He was gently pushed back down and raised an eyebrow at the High-Elf. Said High-Elf glared down at him as she pressed him down by the shoulders.

"Didn't I just say you need rest, you fool? What do you think you were doing?"

"My Lady, I have rested enough. I feel fine." Not really. He felt like his legs were made of brittle wood and could break if he so much as take a step. It felt like birds were flying around his stomach and trying to force their way out. There was an area in his back that was numb and he had a killer headache. Also, the tip of his nose won't stop itching. Why did he want to leave again?

"If you wish to be stubborn, then how about this. I ORDER you to rest, Captain. Or are you willing to disobey a direct order from an Alliance leader?"

'Damn. She plays dirty'

Falric sighed and let himself fall back to the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but felt something warm press against his cheek. He opened one eye to see that Sylvanas' palm was the source of that warmth. She was sitting on the side edge of the bed wile leaning down to caress his cheek, a small smile on her face.

"Don't you ever say my life is worth more than yours. Our lives worth are just the same. You were an ally but in time, you became my comrade. Even friend. I lost my home, my sisters, Nathanos. We have no way to return to Azeroth. All I have left is the Alliance, my Farstriders... you."

'Don't get ahead of yourself, Falric. A little bit of flirting, skin contact and endearment doesn't mean she sees you that way. Don't look at her eyes or you'll get lost in them. Look at something else, quickly. No. No. Don't look at her breasts! That's just rude. Forehead. Just look at her forehead. Yes, her forehead. That's good.'

"Are you looking down at my cleavage, Captain?"

"...No."


	8. Might of Lordaeron Ch 8

City of Ken, Palace of the Goddess

Valerius whistled to himself as he walked around the palace halls. He turned the corner and froze before quickly walking the other way. He wasn't fond of hearing Lady Proudmoore scream her love for Prince Arthas. Especially in the middle of their 'activities'. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Lady Celestine would charge them for any wrecked furniture. From the sounds he, unfortunately, overheard. The guest room would be in ruins by the time they're done.

"Captain?"

Valerius turned to the voice and immediately bowed his head low as he was approached by the Elven duo "Lady Celestine. Lady Olga. Is there something you need?"

"Have you seen Prince Arthas and Lady Proudmoore? Alicia and Prim have been asking around for them."

Olga raised a delicate brow as she noticed the Captain stiffen. Valerius let out an awkward cough and looked away.

"They are..." The Captain sighed and shook his head "Screw it. Forgive my language, my Lady. They are fucking."

Olga snorted. Way to be blunt, Captain. She thought before noticing the red faced High-Elf. Of course she would be red as a tomato. Her own people revere her so much, it was borderline obsession. The though of that made the Dark Queen narrow her eyes. She had seen her so called 'worshippers'. Their eyes hold reverence, sure, but they also show lust upon gazing at the Goddess Incarnate. Almost all of them were men, a small number of women, but overall were men. Such obsession was unsettling. To her at least. Perhaps it's her mistrust of Humans but she could feel it in her bones that their obsession will drive them to do something drastic. She recalled that something similar happened to Lord Weasel. Beardy? Beasley? Yes, Lord Beasley.

After the arrival of the Lordaeronians in Feoh. Said man disappeared and was never heard from again. This brought suspicion that he may have set off the explosion in the center of the city that caught Arcturus off guard. Unfortunately, no one has heard from him since but she did hear that Arcturus sent out search parties to find the man. Dead or alive.

'The hearts of Men are such a fickle things. Only selfish desires guide the decisions they make in life. Desires for Power, Love, Lust or Revenge. They will turn on each other soon enough. Whether it be them or their fathers or their fathers before them or their children or their children's children, they will betray one another. Always. Yet... '

Her thoughts took her to the Lordaeronians. The Alliance in general. Differing races. Humans, Elves and Dwarves. They stand united. Not once did she hear of any treachery from them. The people of Eostia had come to see them as a beacon of hope in their darkest hour. Something they saw in the Seven Shields before the arrival of the Prince. Before Celestine risked a truce with her, the very same woman she had been at brutal and bloody war for centuries.

The Dark Queen's eyes found themselves staring at the High-Elf. She had risked so much in keeping her and Chloe alive. The loyalty of her people. Her soldiers. Her Princess Knights. Yet this blonde ditz kept her word. She stood by her and treated her like any other. Given her trust and was willing to call her friend despite the bitter war they waged. Olga didn't regret her decision in fighting Celestine, not even the atrocities her creations made. But after spending almost all of her time with the High-Elf began to change her. She still hated Humans for what they've done to Chloe and her own people but she knew it was time to let that centuries long fire burn out if they want to win against the lecherous Dogs.

"Olga?"

The Dark Queen blinked before looking at Celestine "Yes?"

"I've been calling you for the past five minutes. The Captain has already left." She looked at Olga with concern "Are you alright?"

"It is of no import. I was simply... lost in thought." The Dark Queen replied with a shake of her head "Come. Don't you have to inform Arcturus and Fiorire about the Lordaeronians whereabouts?"

"Oh!" Olga will never admit that she found Celestine's squeak cute "I almost forgot. Let's go!"

Unfortunately, in her haste to leave, Celestine tripped on her own two feet and face planted on the pristine, white floor.

" ...Ow."

Everyone inside the palace stopped whatever they were doing when a very loud smack rang throughout the palace walls. Later that day, Celestine was nursing a broken nose while Olga had red handprint on her forehead. Chloe asked her Queen what happened only to be answered with a blunt 'Don't ask'.

~Line Break~

Arthas looked at the ceiling as he held a sleeping Jaina in his arms. He was so angry at the news about Ansur that he was fuming for three days straight. The Archmage in his arms had tried to approach him but he ignored her and wallowed in anger in their guest room. Jaina finally had enough in the third day and barged in the room. She didn't give him an explanation before locking the door and pushing on the bed. The moment her lips met his, he forgot about everything. Despite that, there was still a small flicker of rage burning inside him.

Sighing, he gently removed himself from Jaina and placed the blanket over her body. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before putting on his small clothes and pants. He walked over the window and realized it was nighttime. How long did they went at it? Shaking his head, he moved over to the mirror and stared at his reflection. It's been months since they arrived in Eostia and he always made sure that he was clean shaven. Sure he would grow a bit of stubble but if he showed any sign of growing a beard, he would immediately shave.

'Hmm. Good enough.' He thought to himself before looking back at the window 'I wonder if I can get a midnight snack here?'

He heard a loud crash outside and quickly put on a shirt before opening the door. He looked around the hall and saw a palace servant on the ground, holding his foot while a table was overturned beside him. Arthas walked towards the boy and helped him to his feet "Are you alright, son?"

"Y-Yes, milord. But I bring dire news!" The boy answered in panic "I must get this message to the Goddess Incarnate immediately!"

Arthas stepped aside and watched the messenger boy go. He narrowed his eyes and went back to his room. He put on his armor before gently waking up Jaina. He didn't want to but something tells him they'll be summoned later by the High-Elf.

"Jaina, wake up."

The Archmage frowned before blearily opening her eyes. She gave him a questioning look and loomed out the window before turning back to the Prince "Arthas? What's going on? It's the middle of the night. Why are you dressed in your armor?"

"There was a messenger boy outside. He said he brings dire news to Lady Celestine."

This managed to wake Jaina up fully. She jumped off the bed before gathering her clothes. Arthas watched her for a bit before walking towards the door. Looking over his shoulder, he said "I'll be waiting outside."

She gave a grunt of confirmation before bending over to grab her torn underwear. She cursed Arthas in her head before putting on her pants. Did he really had to do that? She could've pulled it off herself without tearing it. Damn him.

~Line Break~

Soon enough, the two were summoned by Celestine. They were gathered around the meeting room and the Goddess Incarnate began to relay the message.

"The city of Geofu is under attack by Grave Levantine. This is... very unexpected."

"Who is this man?" Arthas asked.

"He is... was a great warrior as expected from a member of the Levantine Family. He is Claudia's mentor and father-in-law. The message states that in that he was smuggling Black Dogs into the city and posed them as his personal guards. Others were hidden underneath the city. In the middle of the night, they had bribed some of the castle's guards or slaughtered them if they refused his offer. Claudia managed to send a messenger boy before she was captured." Celestine finished before turning to the Lordaeron duo "I... would like to request your aid in rescuing Claudia and her husband."

Arthas hummed in thought before looking at Jaina. A silent conversation passed between them before Arthas nodded "We'll help. Paladin Joan the Lightgazer and her army are camped out in the middle of Geofu and Ken. They were supposed to go to Rad and reinforce General Windrunner. We can meet up with her and rescue Claudia."

"So you agree?"

"Yes." Jaina replied "I'll teleport the two of us to Paladin Joan's location."

"Of course." The Goddess Incarnate bowed her head "Thank you. Prince Arthas. Lady Proudmoore. If you succeed, I am in your debt."

~Line Break~

Joan grunted as she chopped more wood for the fire. She looked at her muscles, now fitting for someone if her strength. In all honesty, she was just really strong. Even when she was a child in the orphanage. She helped the caretakers with carrying crates of food to the storage when she was ten until she found her calling in the Light and the Order of the Silver Hand. Her ears twitched and she looked to the source of the sound to see what she called 'Teleport Rings' a few feet from her. She shouldered her Maul-Axe and shielded her eyes when a blinding light flashed as the Prince and Archmage arrived. The Half-Elf approached them and bowed slightly.

"Hail, my Lord. My Lady. What brings you here?"

"The city of Geofu is under attack from the inside. Lady Celestine asked us to rescue her friend and rid the city of Black Dogs and traitors." Arthas replied as he looked down at the Half-Elf.

"How did they get into the city without our notice?"

"Grave Levantine, father-in-Law of Lady Lucross' friend, had smuggled the Black Dogs in the city and had them pose as his personal guard. More where smuggled underneath the city and waited for the time to strike. They bribed the castle guards and slaughtered those who refused and remained loyal to Claudia. We must hurry, Paladin Joan. The message says that Claudia has already been captured." Jaina answered.

Joan nodded before running towards the camp and alerting her forces. Her troops quickly readied themselves and cleaned up camp before mounting their horses. All of Joan's forces were on horseback and they, along with Arthas and Jaina, rode towards the city of Geofu post haste. The five hundred plus Alliance forces reached the city in nearly an hour later and saw it was already in chaos. There was smoke rising from parts of the city and the flames lit up the night sky. With her elven eyes, Joan could see there were soldiers fighting Black Dogs on top of the wall. She looked towards the city gate and saw it was closed.

"The gate is shut, my Lord. We have no ladders and building a siege tower will take too long. We don't even have the tools to make one. Our only option is to signal them of our arrival. It will hopefully tell the city's defenders of our arrival. Unfortunately, the same can be said to the Black Dogs. If what you say is true, then whatever hidden path Grave smuggled them through maybe an escape route as well."

"Then we strike hard and fast." Arthas replied as he glared at the city.

~Line Break~

Annette grunted as she locked swords with a Black Dog. The brunette glared at the man before stomping on his toes and slamming her forehead against his. The man was pushed to the ground and had a sword quickly run him through. The female knight breathed heavily before hearing a horn in the distance. She looked outside the wall and saw the large number of cavalry charging towards Geofu. Her eyes widened in surprise and relief to see the cavalry raised the banners of the Alliance.

'The Alliance!?'

She then realized that the gate was still closed. Annette moved past the fighting mercenaries and knights before making her way down the stairs. Three mercenaries were climbing up the spiral staircase and raised their swords to attack Annette. She parried the first one's blow before kicking him in the gut and he fell back towards his comrades, sending the three of them rolling down the stairs. She ran down the stairs and called to the other knights to help her open the gate. As they worked the mechanism that opens the large gates, a group of knights formed a perimeter around them and held off the Black Dogs.

"Make way! Make way!" Annette yelled. Unfortunately, a Black Dog slipped past the perimeter and ran her through with his sword. The mercenary pulled the blade free and kicked her to the ground. He stabbed her in the thigh before raising his sword for the killing blow.

Luckily, the gates opened fully as the Alliance forces arrived. The perimeter split off to safety as the cavalry ran over the mercenaries, including the one that would've ended Annette's life. Annette was soon helped up by her fellow knights and moved to stop the bleeding of her wounds.

On the Alliance side, Joan switched to her weapon's axe side and swung, decapitating heads of the mercenaries she passed. She jumped off her horse and slammed the hammer side of her weapon on the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked the Black Dogs surrounding her. She raised her weapon high in the air as she was surrounded by a golden light. Any of the Dogs that tried to attack her had their blades literally bounce off of her.

Joan smiled at their dumbfounded expression before holding out the Maul-Axe and spinning in place, becoming a Half-Elven cyclone of death. As most of the Black Dogs turned their attention on her, the rest of the cavalry trampled them before Arthas and Jaina made a beeline to the castle. Looking over his shoulder to see that some of the Black Dogs were chasing them, he spurned his mount faster. Jaina following his lead. He trampled the Black Dogs that were unfortunate enough to be in the two's way. Arthas raised his maul high before slamming it down on top of a mercenary's head, bashing his skull in. He looked to his left to see Jaina's eyes glowing as she released a fireball towards a group of Black Dogs.

It wasn't long until they reached the castle where Claudia was being held. All they had to do now was find her. Arthas jumped off his mount and swung Light's Vengeance against a group of mercenaries that tried to encircle him. Of course, they still had to fight through the Black Dogs guarding the place.

~Line Break~

Castle Dungeon

Claudia stared blankly ahead as Grave walked out of her cell, semen flooding out of her exposed vagina. The Holy Knight's hair was in disarray and she could only let out small gasps of air. The former Hero stared at his daughter-in-law before turning to his bound son and scoffed.

"You see that, boy? How long have you fucked your wife and still fail to produce me an heir? How pathetic."

"Mpmmmhph."

Grave sneered as Klaus closed his eyes and wept "You are no son of mine."

Without another word, he grabbed his Greatsword and severed Klaus's head from his body. Blood splattered on his armor and Grace let out a sound of disgust. He'll have to clean his armor immediately before it dries. He turned to the two Black Dogs "Get rid of this trash and chain the other one to the wall."

"Can we fuck her after?"

Grave opened his mouth to answer but was stopped when the doors to the dungeon were thrown off it's hinges and a body landed towards them. The three looked to the entryway and saw a tall, muscular blonde man in heavy armor. He held a maul in his left hand while a longsword in the other. The man glared as he dropped the longsword and walked his way towards them. Grave could hear the two mercenaries cower behind him and shook his head. He then turned to address the blonde.

"And who are you supposed to be?"

The man was silent before stopping and staring at Klaus's headless corpse then to Claudia's twitching body. The blonde's frown turned into a sneer as he sets his sea green eyes at Grave, a golden light surrounding him.

"You... you are past redemption, foul knave."

Grave grit his teeth in anger. How dare this boy call him a knave! And past redemption? Ha! He was preserving the Levantine line and purged the stain in the Levantine name. He did what must be done! What part of that needs redemption? He will show this fool why Grave Levantine is not a man to be trifled with.

"You dare- "

"Silence, scum!"

~Line Break~

Castle Courtyard

"Alright, boys. Give it your best shot."

Jaina taunted as she looked at the mercenaries that were surrounding her. She told Arthas to go ahead while she kept the Black Dogs from entering the dungeon. They had made it to the castle and fought their way past the mercenaries. They managed to get some information to where Claudia was being kept before more Black Dogs arrived. Once they reached the entrance to the dungeon, Black Dogs seem to come out of nowhere and slowly made their way towards her. Jaina sneered in disgust as they gave her looks of lust and called out what they wanted to do to her. Like hell she was going to let them do that.

The Archmage didn't let the Black Dogs make the first move and summoned a Water Elemental. The summon charged at the Dogs and slammed it's fist into the ground, causing a shockwave that threw many off their feet. It then attacked any that were foolish enough to go near it. Jaina quickly cast a Cone of Cold towards a group of mercenaries that managed to get past the Elemental. Before they could reach her, the Elemental turned into a small tidal wave and crashed into the group.

Jaina then turned to the other Black Dogs and cast a Ring of Frost. Before the majority of them could get away, they were frozen in place. Shards of ice then fell from the dark clouds that appeared in the ceiling, shattering the frozen mercenaries and impaling the ones who were unfortunate enough to get caught. The Archmage let out a sigh of relief and moved to follow Arthas to the dungeon but was stopped before more Black Dogs appeared and charged at her.

'Oh hell.'

She pointed her staff at the Black Dogs and continuously hurled lance after lance after lance against them. Her Water Elemental wasn't out of the fight yet and moved to protect it's summoner, backhanding any mercenary that got too close to Jaina.

~Line Break~

"Silence, scum!"

Arthas could hear his rage yelling for him to let it out but not yet. He will not defeat this... traitor out of hate but for justice.

"Justice will be served. For all those you have wronged, even your own family."

"Wronged? My own family? Ridiculous!" Grave pointed his Greatsword at Klaus's corpse "I did my family a favor for ridding it of this trash." He then looked at Claudia who was still staring blankly at nothing "I did what I had to do and saved the Levantine line. She and her husband have been married for so long yet still fail to produce an heir. I will not let my line end with a pathetic excuse of a son!"

"Enough talk. You're evil will be purged!"

Arthas let out a battle cry as he charged the three. Grave raised his Greatsword to block the Prince's strike. As soon as the maul slammed into the blade, Grave was shocked. The power of the blow brought him down to one knee. Sneering, he rolled back as soon as Arthas raised his weapon to attack once more. The former Hero glared at the two mercenaries and yelled "Well? Kill him!"

The cowering Black Dogs looked unsure for a moment before Grave suddenly grabbed the closest one and pushed him towards Arthas. The Prince simply punched the man in the face with enough force to send the mercenary on the ground. He didn't give him the chance to recover before crushing his head like a watermelon. The last mercenary was pushed towards him only to have his ribs cave in as Arthas swung his maul and connected to the Black Dog's chest. Arthas grabbed the mercenary on the back of the collar and slammed him on the bars of Claudia's cell. Teeth flew off before Arthas threw the mercenary down and crushed the man's head with his boot. He slowly turned his eyes to Grave.

"Face me, coward!"

Grave roared in fury as he charged the Prince. Arthas parried the Greatsword and kneed the former Hero in the gut. Grave keeled over and dropped his Greatsword before elbowing Arthas in the abdomen twice. The Prince was pushed back and Grave punched him in the face. Arthas let out a growl before sending a punch of his own, dropping Light's Vengeance on the ground. He grabbed the former Hero by collar and slammed him into the wall. Grave grunted in pain before headbutting Arthas and kicking him away.

The Prince snarled, having had enough, and kicked Grave's knee. The former Hero screamed in pain as the knee bent in an awkward angle before receiving a punch in the gut. He coughed out blood and strained to keep himself upright. He looked up just in time to see Arthas thrust the Greatsword through his body until the tip planted itself on the ground. Grave could feel his body slide down the blade and glared JP at the Prince. Arthas glared down on him and the former Hero spat a gob of blood and spot at the Prince's armor. Arthas sneered in disgust before rearing his fist back.

"The Light is my strength and I am the Light's Vengeance. Feel my wrath!"

Arthas roared as he landed a powerful punch that sent Grave's body sliding further down the blade until it hit the ground. Arthas let out a calming breath before turning to Klaus's body. He walked over to it and knelt down "May you find peace in the Light's embrace."

He stood up and walked over to Claudia's cell. He felt a wave of sadness hit him as he stared at the Holy Knight's defiled body. She was still staring at nothing. Didn't even react to anything. Arthas sighed before opening the gate. He took off his cape and set out down next to Claudia. He gently rolled her to her back before wrapping the cape around her naked form and picked her up. He made his way up the stairs and out of the dungeon. Once at the top, he was greeted by the sight of Jaina breathing heavily as she leaned on her staff. Bodies of Black Dogs lay dead behind her. The Archmage locked at him and gave him a smirk.

"What took you so long?" Her smirk turned into a gasp as she spotted the unmoving woman in Arthas' arms "Is she... "

"No." The Prince replied with a shake of his head "But we were too late. Grave had already defiled her and killed her husband, his own son, by the time I reached them. He had the audacity to justify his actions!"

Jaina walked over to him and place a calming hand on his cheek before looking down at Claudia's face. The Holy Knight stared blankly at the ceiling, unfeeling to the world around her. Jaina sighed before casting a Sleep spell on Claudia and watched as the Holy Knight's eyes closed.

"This is all I can do for now. Let's just get out of here and take her to Celestine."

"Agreed."

The Archmage raised her staff to teleport them back to Ken's palace. This would take a lot out of her considering how many Dogs she had to hold back but they needed to return to the Palace immediately. But before they left, Arthas asked one of the surviving Castle Guards to relay a message for Paladin Joan.

~Line Break~

Ken

Jaina opened her eyes and almost fell to her knees from exhaustion. She steadied herself on her staff before looking up to see the Goddess Incarnate sitting on her throne, though the Archmage could see that the High-Elf's eyes were focused solely on the sleeping brunette in Arthas' arms.

Said Prince held a solemn look before making his way towards a nearby table. He gently laid down Claudia before making his way to Celestine. Once he reached her, Arthas looked at the High-Elf before sighing.

"She's not dead, Lady Lucross." His voice had no tone in it "But... she was already defiled when we got there. Her husband lay in a pool of his own blood. Beheaded by Grave Levantine."

Everyone in the room could feel the hatred in the man's voice as he said the former Hero's name. He cleared his throat and apologized before continuing "Geofu is being retaken as we speak. I left Paladin Joan the Lightgazer in charge of the forces there. As for Grave Levantine... He won't be a problem anymore, Lady Lucross. Claudia, however." He sighed and shook his head "She will take time to heal. Both in mind and body. When I found her, she was unresponsive and lay in puddles of semen. Grave raped her so she could produce an heir for the Levantine line. Her body had few to no injuries but her mind is something no one beside herself can heal... Forgive my failure, Lady Lucross."

Arthas lowered his head in shame "We were too late."

~Line Break~

It took all of Celestine's willpower to stop herself from running to Claudia's room as Arthas told her of what happened in Geofu. Beside her, Olga kept glancing at Celestine in concern, hidden behind a mask of indifference. She, however, felt the Dark Elf's hand grasp hers and Celestine squeezed. Nodding politely at the Prince and Archmage, she dismissed herself and made her way towards the her room but not before placing a hand over Claudia's. She left the throne room and made her way to her quarters but as soon as she turned the corner, Celestine broke down and fell to her knees. Why did this happen? Why did it have to be Claudia? The first person to see past the Goddess Incarnate and befriend Celestine Lucross. Why was she so weak? The Reincarnation of the Goddess and she can't even save her people. Hundreds of thousands suffer by the Black Dog's cruelty. The same people she hired to finish her war with Olga. The same people she entrusted her people's safety and they stab her in the back. Using Olga's creations to spread their cruelty on her people. Why was she so pathetic?

"Celestine."

The High-Elf looked up to see Olga standing in front of her. The Dark Queen knelt down and, to Celestine's surprise, enveloped her in a hug. She could feel Olga's hand rub her back gently to comfort her "You are not pathetic, Celes."

'How did she know I was thinking that!?'

"You're thinking out loud, dear. Still are, actually."

"EEP!"

Olga blinked when Celestine suddenly pulled away and brought her knees to her chest, covering her reddening face with her hands. She heard the blonde say something but her voice was too muffled for her to hear.

"What was that?"

Celestine pulled her hands away to look at the Dark Elf "I asked: How much have you heard?"

"All of it."

"Eh~"

Olga sighed as the High-Elf balled herself further. She sat beside the blonde and wrapped one arm around her. They stayed like that for a long time before Celestine turned her head towards Olga "How can you say I'm not pathetic. I'm supposed to be the Reincarnation of the Goddess yet why am I so powerless to stop my people from suffering? Most nights I dream of what would happen if the Lordaeronians hadn't arrived. If you hadn't escaped Garan when Volt took over. I... I keep seeing everything fall into despair and suffering. I try to tell myself that they were just dreams but... I know they were visions."

"Visions?" This intrigued Olga. She was always the one receiving visions. Mostly from the world called Azeroth and fates of the Lordaeronians had they not arrived in Eostia.

"Like yours. Visions of what would've happened if Prince Arthas and his army hadn't arrived. We- We were so weak. We couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything. I-I don't want to- "

"Hey, it's alright. None of that will ever happen. Do you understand?"

"Why?" This made the Dark Elf raise a delicate eyebrow at the blonde "Why are you being nice to me now? Back then, you wouldn't even care if I cried."

"It's because... you're my f-f-friend."

Celestine's mouth dropped as she looked at the Dark Elf in shock. She wiped her tears and smiled at Olga, creeping the Dark Queen out before being enveloped in a bone crushing hug.

"What are you- Get off me, you ditz!"

"You finally called me your friend! Say it again. Say it again. Pretty please with cherry on top!"

"Let go you crazy, blonde, bimbo. You're breaking my spine! Hey! Get your face off my breasts, woman. Damn it, Celestine!"

Somewhere in the shadows, a certain Dark Queen's right hand woman was burning with jealousy as she watched the two.

~Line Break~

Arthas and Jaina stared at the door where the Dark Queen followed after the Goddess Incarnate. The Prince sighed and moved to leave but not before feeling a hand grab his arm. He didn't need to know who was the owner of the appendage.

"It's not your fault, Arthas."

"It's not that, Jaina. It's just... what Grave had done sickens me. Only the Light can grant him mercy, Jaina. For I could not. No matter his reasons. Nothing can persuade me to forgive what that monster had done. To his own kin. Uther would lecture me for saying this but I hope there's a special place in Hell for that bastard."

Without another word, he walked out of the throne room. Jaina watched him leave and moved to follow after him. She caught up to the Prince and the two walked side by side. She leaned on him as she could feel her exhaustion catching up again.

"Tired?"

"You try holding off more than two dozen Black Dogs all by yourself and see how it feels."

"Heh. You weren't by yourself. You had that Water Elemental with you."

"Don't start with me now, Arthas." She slapped him lightly on the arm before hooking her own around his "Let's just go to bed. I'm tired."

"As you wish, my Queen."

"Don't even start."

~Line Break~

Geofu

Joan harrumphed when she saw the line of Black Dog prisoners march towards the castle's dungeon. Prince Arthas tasked her take over things in the city, including the Levantines bodies and the prisoners of war. She had Klaus's body fixed up before giving him to Geofu's church for a proper funeral. Grave, ironically, wasn't given a grave. She had heard from the city's knights what the former Hero had done and the Half-Elf wished she was the one to kill the bastard.

How could someone do that to their own son and daughter-in-law? She didn't want to know but deep down, she wished there was a special place in Hell waiting for Grave Levantine. The Light may love all but she certainly didn't. Paladin she may be but that didn't mean she was without emotion. In fact if she wasn't such a Holy Woman, she would spit on the man's corpse. Now if Valerius was here, he'd say he'd rather shit on the corpse than let anyone bury it. Believe her when she says the man can hold a grudge.

"Lady Joan."

Joan turned to the owner of the voice and her eyes widened at the sight. A scantily clad, brown haired knight that looked like she went through Hell, got chewed up by a big demon, stabbed in the thigh and gut before digging her way back to the surface. It surprised the Paladin how the girl was still alive.

"What in Light's name happened to you, girl!?"

She didn't let the girl answer before casting Holy Light upon the knight. The brunette felt the Light's power take effect and saw her wounds heal, like she was never stabbed at all. This was new to the brunette. She was part of Lady Claudia's Holy Knights sure but it was their faith and devotion to the Goddess and Lady Celestine that gave them the moniker. Seeing this was... odd, in a way. Heretical if you ask some of the more proud and zealous Holy Knights.

"T-Thank you, Lady Joan."

"Think nothing of it. Now, is there something else you need knight... "

"Oh!" The brunette exclaimed "Annette, Lady Joan. Also, I was told to inform you that we found the underground passage that the Dogs used to enter the city. It wasn't just a passage, Lady Joan. It led to a small base of sorts. We wanted to inform the Alliance of our findings."

"I appreciate the gesture, Knight Annette." Joan replied with a thankful nod "Where is this passage, anyway?"

"Right under the Keep, Lady Joan. I can show you the way if you'd like."

"Thank you but first, I have to send a message to Rad."

~Line Break~

Rad

"Damn it."

Sylvanas looked up from her seat in the Great Hall when she heard Falric curse. The Captain walked over to her and handed her a small parchment.

"This just arrived. Paladin Joan's forces are delayed due to an attack on Geofu by a traitor. They were the closest the Alliance could call upon to send aid. They'll arrive here in three days. Paladin Joan said she still has get things organized on Geofu before moving her forces here post haste."

Falric took a seat across from her and ran a hand through his short, messy hair. They hoped that reinforcements would arrive by tomorrow. Last they heard, Joan's forces were near Ken. Sighing, he reached over to his pipe and began smoking before taking a pear from the fruit basket in the middle of their table. Judging from the less than pleased look on her face, Sylvanas shared his thoughts as well. The Ranger-General set the parchment down and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"This is troubling." Sylvanas began as she looked across the table at Falric "Our forces are tired and there's only three hundred of us left."

"There's still Rad's Militia and the five hundred Alliance auxiliaries. We set up ballistae with steel-tip bolts and cannons on the wall. I say we still have a chance, no matter how small."

"Those Militiamen don't have the experience required to survive the coming siege, Falric. Most of them are old men, farmers and boys who could barely swing a sword. I've seen it in their eyes. They will die."

"Maybe so but they ARE willing to die, Sylvanas. They volunteered to protect their families. They may be inexperienced but never doubt a man's resolve to protect."

The High-Elf snorted before snatching the pear from Falric's hand "Even so, Falric. Our numbers are too few. They outnumber us and they know that. They'll keep throwing whatever they can at us until we're overwhelmed."

"I know that but what choice do we have but to hold them?"

"You're right. We must fight and hold this city for three days. Let's just hope we last that long." She finished before taking a bite of the pear.

Falric hummed in agreement and kept on smoking, shooting glances at the High-Elf as she ate the pear. He couldn't help but admired both. One he found beautiful and the other delicious. Together? It's a dream come true.


	9. Might of Lordaeron Ch 9

Claudia Levantine expected to wake up in a cell of the poorly lit dungeon under Castle Geofu. She did not expect to see the sun glaring at her face through the window. Groaning, the Holy Knight brought a hand over her eyes and slowly stood up. She looked down on herself and realized she was wearing a white nightgown. Her hair was out of it's usual braid. Her armor was nowhere to be seen and, to her relief, so was Grave. At the thought of her mentor reminded her of his betrayal to her and Klaus. Klaus!

The Holy Knight jumped to her feet and kicked open the door to the room, nearly knocking a servant holding a tray off their feet. Claudia ran down the corridor, hoping to find someone who could tell her where her husband is. As she ran, she slowly recognized her surroundings.

'This is... Lady Celestine's palace. She must know where Klaus is!'

With that thought in mind, Claudia made a beeline for Celestine's throne room. Unfortunately, said Goddess Incarnate wasn't there. Only an irritated Dark Queen as she tried to figure out where the Black Dogs obtain their seemingly infinite manpower.

~Line Break~

Olga Discordia sighed for umpteenth time as she crossed her legs and rested her chgek on her fist. It has been two days since the Lordaeronians rescued Levantine and no word has been received from Rad. The Dark Queen feared that the city had fallen, making the Black Dogs grow nearer to Ken. That Half-Elf Paladin's forces were due to arrive at the city later today but... what if Rad has already fallen? The number of Black Dogs that took Ansur were more than two thousand. Add the number of orcs, ogres and imps that pretty much bolsters their forces.

'How can the Black Dogs grow such an army this fast? In fact, how can the Dogs produce more of my orcs and ogres? I burned everything in my castle before I left. There was no way they could've recovered my notes for their creation. Unless... '

Her thoughts were cut short as the doors to the throne room burst open. Olga looked to the doorway to see Levantine running towards her. The brunette stopped as she stared at the Dark Queen.

"Where is Lady Celestine?"

'Rude.'

"Good morning to you too, Levantine." Olga sarcastically replied "As for Celestine, she's taking her bath right now so no need to worry about me taking over this place."

The Holy Knight sneered before schooling her features. Olga smirked before glancing at one of the pillars. Hanging on one of the banners, ever covered by shadows, was Chloe. The blonde Dark Elf was glaring at the brunette, ready to intervene should the Holy Night moved to harm her mistress. Olga slightly shook her head at Chloe before turning back to Claudia.

"If you desire to see your precious Goddess Incarnate, then I shall fetch her. Besides, the throne's a little too Light for my taste." Olga stood up and walked down the throne's steps before making her way out of the throne room, passing by Claudia who gave the Dark Queen a small glare. Celestine may have pardoned the Dark Elf and her servant but Claudia would always remember the atrocities her creations had done to Eostia's people.

~Line Break~

*Squeak, Squeak*

"Hehe. Mr. Ducky. Chu~"

*Squeak, Squeak*

"Celestine, you're friend Claudia is- "

Celestine stared at the entrance of her bathroom to see Olga standing at the doorway. The Dark Queen slowly blinked at the sight of the High-Elf in the bubbly bathtub making duck faces at a... rubber ducky. Said High-Elf stared back at Olga and squeezed the rubber ducky. Shaking her head, Olga backed up.

"On second thought, I'll just leave you to your... whatever it is you were doing." The Dark Elf shut the door but not before hearing another squeak from the rubber ducky, followed by splashes and giggles from the High-Elf.

'Honestly, that woman can be such a child.'

~Line Break~

When Olga informed Claudia that Celestine was 'busy' in the tub, the Holy Knight decided to return to her room to change into something more decent. She opened the door to her room to see a new set of armor laying on the bed.

A black gambeson with a pair of black gloves, tights and boots. A set of heavy silver armor complete with bevor, cuirass, pauldrons, rerebraces, vambraces, gauntlets, tassets, poleyn, greaves and sabatons. Beside the armor was a blank, white tabard. There was also a neatly folded letter by the dresser beside her bed. Taking the letter, she unfolded it and read it's contents out loud.

"Something befitting for a Holy Knight. The tabard is blank for now. We'll leave you to decide to what alterations you want on it. With regards, Prince Arthas Menethil and Lady Jaina Proudmoore."

She placed the letter down and looked at armor. That was very kind of them.

~Line Break~

Letting herself get used to the feel of her new armor, Claudia walked out of her room and decided to walk around the palace for a bit until Celestine finished her bath. She soon found herself outside, on the citadel balcony, looking over the city of Ken. As she looked down the city, she spotted something, or rather some people, out of place. Alliance Footmen patrol the streets in pairs, mostly centered around the Markets.

"If you're wondering why those Footmen are there, it's because Arthas insisted they accompany Prim when she's buying food."

Claudia turned to the source of the voice and saw a blue-eyed blonde in a white attire with accessories in dark shades of peacock blue. Her eyes let out a slight glow to it, Claudia observed. The blonde let out a smile as she held out her gloved hand for the Holy Knight to shake.

"Greetings, Claudia Levantine. It's good to see you awake." The blonde then eyed Claudia's new gear and her smile grew wider "I see you took to wearing our gift. Arthas wanted more pieces of armor added but I think it would've been too heavy for you to move around on."

"Thank you for this... Lady Proudmoore, I presume?" Claudia replied as she shook the blonde's hand. Said blonde nodded as the two let go.

"You presume correct, Lady Levantine. It was the least we can do after... "

Jaina trailed off as she recalled the incident two nights ago. Claudia noticed how the Archmage trailed off and her thoughts went back to her husband. Perhaps she knows what happened to Klaus.

"If I may ask, Lady Proudmoore, but... Do you know where my husband is?"

She saw the blonde flinch and give her a look of... pity? Jaina sighed as she decided to get this over and done with now "I'm sorry, Claudia, but your husband is... dead."

~Line Break~

Valerius sighed to himself as he held the small crate of various fruits and vegetables Lady Prim bought form the Markets. As much as he wanted to pass this off to the other Footmen, he wouldn't. His orders were to stay beside Prim at all times despite Ken being a peaceful city. The Prince was adamant on the young Lady's safety above all else, even his own. Lady Prim walks around the city with a squad of Footmen nearby while the Prince himself had only two with him. Even Lady Proudmoore and Alicia, both capable of defending themselves, had Footmen guards nearby.

"Captain, look what I got!"

Valerius looked down and his eyes widened as she strained to carry a giant wheel of cheese, thrice the size of the Princess. He quickly set the small crate on the ground and took the cheese wheel from the pinkette's arms. He questioned how the small girl managed to even lift the damn thing.

"Light above, Princess. Why would you purchase such a thing?"

"Cheese and wine go great together. I was hoping you and your men can have them for dinner."

Valerius stopped himself from dropping the cheese wheel and turned to the side to properly look at Prim "Wine, you say?"

At the pinkette's nod, Valerius called for two Footmen to bring the cheese wheel and the crate of fruits and vegetables to the palace. Once secured, he sent them off before accompanying the Princess to the 'Best' Wine Shop in Ken. As Prim talked to the shopkeeper about which was the best tasting wine, Valerius couldn't help but be slightly giddy. He can't wait for tonight. He could taste the wine already.

~Line Break~

Alicia sighed as she thought about her current predicament. Was it a good idea to conduct her own investigations to route out traitors in Celestine's city on her own? Yes. Should she have informed Arthas of what she was doing and not ditch her guards? Definitely. Will said Prince tear his hair out worrying about her disappearance? Without a doubt. Should she have thought of a better plan than attacking a traitor who apparently had more followers in his home? Maybe. Is she going to get violated and killed after they drag her to wherever this tunnel lead? Absolutely.

"You should've never snooped around, Lady Alicia." An elderly man with ginger hair and wearing a black robe with red trims "But perhaps this is a blessing. Yes, yes. You would make a great and beautiful sacrifice to the Snake God, Şarpe the Black Hearted."

"HAIL, ŞARPE!"

As the cultists of the Snake God sang songs of worship to their God, Alicia's eye twitched in annoyance.

"SAY WHAT!?"

The cultists stopped as they stared incredulously at the Princess Knight's outburst. Alicia glared at the leader despite the metal cuffs that bound her wrists and the swords poised to strike her throat. The blonde sighed in frustration and slammed her forehead against the cuffs.

"Son of a- . A fucking Snake God!? All those leads I followed for three days since we arrived and it all led to a stupid snake worshipping cult! Are you kidding me!?"

"How dare you insult our- "

The cult leader was cutoff as Alicia lunged and grabbed him by his cloak. The blonde glared at the man and, through gritted teeth, said "Listen here, you worthless scum. I've been following every lead, every clue, I could find in hopes of routing out any traitors to the Goddess Incarnate and potential Black Dog allies. I did not sleep, not even a short nap, in those three bloody damn days and this is what I find!? Screw you and whatever God you worship!"

Alicia headbutted the cult leader before quickly wrapping the chains that bound her cuffs around the man's neck. The cult leader tried to fight but his vision was slowly narrowing. The other cultists tried approaching Alicia but she tightened her hold on the leader and sneered at the cultists.

"Take one more step and you can say goodbye to good 'ol Mr. Houngan." That stopped the cultists in their tracks. They slowly backed away but Alicia kept her hold on the leader "That's right back away. Slowly, slowly."

The sounds of running boots echoed behind the cultists and they turned to look for the source. Suddenly, a giant hammer flew straight into a cultist's abdomen and sent him flying towards the end of the tunnel, smashing right beside a set of double doors. The cultists were too shocked on what just occurred to properly react to what happened next. A squad of Footmen charged in and took advantage of the cultists stupor. The soldiers quickly cut them down before they could fight back.

Alicia tightened her hold on the cultist leader before feeling his body slacken. Just as she let the unconscious man go, a large shadow loomed over her. Purple orbs looked up to see a pair of blue green ones swimming with disapproval and concern. Arthas stared down at the Princess Knight as he rubbed his temple.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady."

On the end of the tunnel, the double doors slightly opened and a head of a dark haired young man stuck out. He looked at the body next to the door then to the group of Footmen glaring at him, the bodies of his brothers littered the ground they stand upon. Slowly, the man pulled his head back and shut the door. It was soon followed by screams of 'HELP!', 'INTRUDERS!' and 'PROTECT THE SNAKE GOD!'. Arthas raised a brow before ordering his Footmen to follow after the cultist and find out whatever they can of the place. He then turned his gaze back to Alicia. Said Princess Knight could only gulp before lowering her head.

~Line Break~

When Jaina heard that Alicia ditched her guards and disappeared, she gave Claudia a quick goodbye and immediately went to find Arthas. Fortunately, she was found by a Footman who then informed her of the situation and led her to a house on the Plaza District. When they arrived, the scene that greeted them was not something she expected.

Arthas kicked the house's door open and dragged Alicia by the ear on one hand while dragging an unconscious man by the leg with the other. The Prince unceremoniously drooped the man and ordered two Footmen to take him to wherever the dungeon is for questioning before dragging Alicia towards Jaina. He let go and the Princess Knight rubbed her sore ear. Jaina gave the two a questioning look before turning to Arthas.

"Okay... What did I miss?"

Arthas crossed his arms before looking at the Princess Knight, who simply bowed her head and tapped her index fingers against each other. Jaina then looked at Alicia and brought her hands to her hips "Explain."

"I... " Alicia sighed and looked at the Archmage "Ever since we've arrived, I took the liberty of investigating the city to route out traitors and Black Dogs sympathizers like Beardsley. I overheard two men by an alley talking about recruiting men, ONLY men, to their cause. I followed after the two as they tried to recruit boys from their teens to elderly men. So far, they failed. For the rest of our stay here, I've tailed them until I heard about a secret meeting in Mr. Houngan. I followed them to the Plaza District and moved to investigate further. I broke into his home and overheard them talk about their newest members and their plans to take over Ken. I jumped out of my cover and attempted to arrest them."

"Which you failed it seems." Arthas cut in "This never would've happened if you hadn't ditched your guards."

"But they would've blown my cover!" Alicia argued "Besides, I have a perfectly good disguise on that they had failed to recognize me."

Said disguise was a simple veil over her head and that was it. She didn't remove her armor or change her clothes and hairstyle. Just purchased a random veil in the Markets and tailed after the cultists. Arthas and Jaina shared a look before wondering: Is her disguise really effective or are those cultists just stupid? Arthas sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was, Alicia?" The Prince asked as he stared down at the other blonde "I had the Footmen search the area where you were last seen. I was so close to sending a city wide search until one of the citizens informed us of your break-in. By the Light, Alicia. You'll be giving me grey hairs at this point and I'm only 24."

"Sorry." The Princess Knight muttered in reply.

Jaina shook her head and brought a hand on the young girl's shoulder "It's alright, Alicia. But just don't do something like this ever again. When a Footman informed of your disappearance, I was worried sick too. Do you know what kind of different scenarios that ran into my head? I feared you would've been tortured, violated and killed by those men. Next time you try to do something like this, let us know first. Alright? We can help you."

"Yeah." Alicia replied with a nod and a smile "I can do that. Promise."

"That... still doesn't reassure me." Arthas commented with a sigh, ignoring the indignant 'Hey' from the younger blonde. This comment made the Archmage look at him with a raised brow.

"Since when did you started to act rationally? I would've thought you would be more lenient or down right approve of her actions."

"Just don't, Jaina." Arthas shook his head and turned to leave "I'm heading back to the palace. I need some time to calm my mind after all this... whatever this is. Alicia, stay with Jaina."

"Milord."

Arthas stopped and turned to the Footman that called out and saw him and another dragging Light's Vengeance towards him. Oh, right. He threw his weapon to some cultist and smashed him to a wall. He thanked the two and shouldered his weapon before making his way back to the palace.

~Line Break~

Rad

Sylvanas narrowed her eyes as she watched the Black Dogs retreated. It wasn't a full retreat however. They just fell back to their camp farther down the field. They had held them off for two days now and their numbers were slowly dwindling. They could say the same about the Black Dogs as well. The mercenaries took heavy losses on the first day of the siege. Rad's cannons worked effectively against the siege towers and the boiling oil stopped the ogres from ramming the city gates. The only way the Dogs could battle them was by using ladders to scale the wall. They managed to do so but the Alliance forces managed to push them back, taking out at least 600 from their four thousand strong army.

The next day, they attached catapults on the ogres backs and barraged the wall until a section was breached. They had to move quickly to meet the forces in the breach. Fortunately, the breach wasn't too large for the Black Dogs to flood through and, by a stroke of luck, the catapults ran out of ammo before they could damage the wall any further. The Militia and Auxiliaries managed to keep the mercenaries from entering the city further and were soon routed when Sylvanas and her Rangers rained arrows down the breach from the top of the wall. Unfortunately, almost half of the Militia died from holding off the breach.

Today, they tried to attack through the breach once more but had the ogres lead the charge. Sad to say, the Militia weren't ready to fight those beasts. Whatever was left of them were almost wiped out. Coalition forces managed to hold their own and the Auxiliaries lost only a few men. The Black Dogs sent more of their beasts. Wolves, Wolfmen, brownskins and the like. Fortunately, a nonstop barrage of flaming arrows managed to make the beasts turn tail and flee after loosing too much of their kin, leaving the human mercenaries to be pushed back by the Coalition.

"How long?"

Sylvanas turned to the voice and saw Falric approach her. Blood dripped down the tip of his blade and his armor was splattered with dried blood. His cape had holes in several places and the bottom was torn. Falric set his shield down and stood beside her, watching the Dogs flee to their camp.

"How long can we hold them? Paladin Lightgazer and her forces are due to arrive today but... would they arrive in time?"

"I don't know, Falric." And she wasn't lying. With so few of them left, it's a miracle they managed to survive this long. Either the Light really did watch over them or whoever was taking command of this army was an idiot. Probably both. "We've lasted this long. Let's not question it now."

"Of course." Falric replied and walked beside her as they made their way back to the Great Hall. She was right, really, but he just couldn't help but wonder if there was even a force left to reinforce by the time Paladin Lightgazer's forces arrive.

~Line Break~

Maia sighed as she downed her... fourth? Fifth? Tenth? Mug of ale. She didn't know and, frankly, she didn't care. So much death. From Ansur to Rad. They hadn't stopped fighting since then. A small reprieve here and there but it was back to fighting again. She shouldn't even be drinking right now. Who knows when the Black Dogs decided to say 'Fuck it' and send everyone in Rad. Goddess knows they wouldn't last long anymore and add to the fact their reinforcements took their jolly good time to arrive. Throwing the empty mug across the empty Great Hall, the redhead sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I think you've had enough for today, Lady Maia."

The redhead turned to the voice and saw Sylvanas and Falric walking towards her. She gave the Captain a halfhearted glare before waving her hand in dismissal.

"I've had enough when I say I've had enough so if you don't mind, fuck off." She reached for another mug only for Falric to snatch it away before she could touch it. Maia let out a sound of protest but didn't move from her spot at the table. Instead, she settled for glaring at the fireplace "Fine. Take it. I don't care."

Falric could only sigh before setting the mug down, far away from the redhead. Sylvanas eyed the number of empty mugs in slight amusement before leaving, deciding to retire for the day. Maybe wash the blood off her clothes and body before going to bed. The Captain watched the High-Elf leave before looking back at the redhead.

"With all due respect, Lady Maia. Drowning yourself in ale will do more harm than good. I'd rather not have to explain to Lady Celestine how one of her Princess Knights died because she was too drunk to use a sword, let alone stand straight." Falric moved over to the redhead as Maia glared up at him "Get your act together, my Lady. You're no good to anyone dead."

And without another word, he left the Great Hall. Falric respected authority but to see her like that made him question if Maia was still fit to lead. Then again, who was he to judge. How many times had Sylvanas found him drinking alone in the Great Hall in the middle of the night? He wasn't really a drinker but smoking wasn't enough for him anymore. Holding the Black Dogs with so few forces for three days and the number of deaths were taking it's toll on him. He thought of retiring once but immediately threw it out the window. There was no way he was done fighting and nothing short of death can force him to.

~Line Break~

Joan eyed the city of Rad from the hill. She could see the Black Dogs camping out a distance away from the city itself. Bodies littered the field between the camp and Rad. Humans and beasts. There were also destroyed siege towers and the like.

"It's amazing how they've lasted this long. I hope we're not too late."

The Half-Elf hummed in agreement before looking at the other brunette "I appreciate you coming with us and for the extra manpower."

Before Joan left Geofu, Annette and a hundred Knights asked to join her and help with reinforcing Rad. The Paladin had warned that doing so would leave the city low on manpower but the Holy Knight insisted, stating that Geofu would be fine. Now here they were, overlooking the land and city of Rad from a hill. Behind them were the thousand strong Alliance forces and a hundred of Geofu's Knights. All on horseback and ready to shed Black Dog blood. The Paladin then looked back at the Black Dog encampment where a number of mercenaries were retreating to.

"The sun is setting. Looks like their forces were repelled by the city's defenders. We wait for now. I want a message sent to General Windrunner and Lady Maia. Tell them reinforcements have arrived."

~Line Break~

Falric stared at the setting sun from his spot outside the Great Hall. He held a smoking pipe in his hand but didn't place his lips on the bit. He had smoked enough for the past hour. He heard rapid footsteps approach and turned to the source of the noise. One of the Rangers, a Dark Elf, ran up the stairs that led to the Great Hall and hurried towards him. She stopped and saluted him before handing him a rolled up parchment. He thanked the elf and proceeded to read the parchment's contents.

"Finally." He muttered before turning around and pushing the doors of the Great Hall open. Maia still hadn't moved from her spot at the table but fortunately, the redhead wasn't drinking anymore. She turned towards Falric when the Captain placed the parchment in front of her.

"What's this?"

"They've arrived."

Maia tilted her head in confusion before her eyes widened in realization. She stood up and grabbed the parchment, quickly reading it's contents before running towards Sylvanas' room. She reached the room and moved to knock but the door opened before she could, revealing an unamused High-Elf staring.

"I could hear your footsteps from inside. What's the problem?"

"Reinforcements have arrived!" The redhead stated "They're waiting for orders."

Sylvanas' eyes widened a fraction before narrowing, already thinking of a way they can use said reinforcements.

"How many?" She asked.

"Eleven hundred. All on horseback."

The Ranger-General hummed in thought before grabbing her cloak, bow and quiver. As soon as they reached the main hall, Sylvanas had already thought of a plan. She spotted Falric and walked over to him. She could see that the Captain still hadn't cleaned his armor or weapon, evident on his blood stained appearance.

"Gather all the Rangers and Footmen here. I have a plan but we'll wait until the dead of night before we strike and get me the fastest messenger we have."

~Line Break~

Hours Later

Theodore yawned as he walked out of his tent in frustration. Ever since they left Ansur, they haven't had any bitch to fuck since then. They thought they could get some when they take over Rad but those Alliance bastards and their damned cannons destroyed all their siege towers. Not to mention the boiling oil that poured down on those ogres when they tried to ram the gate. They placed ladders and climbed on top of the wall but couldn't make any progress with it. From what he heard, a blonde Elf ran back and forth on top of the wall and slaughtered any Black Dogs that were unfortunate enough to get in her way. Add to the fact that whore, Maia, was there too. Those pussies forced them to retreat but that doesn't mean it was over.

The second day might have been the only day they made progress. They placed the catapults on the big guys' backs and managed to break down a section of the wall. They killed a lot of those Militia but he cursed Andrei for saying they had enough boulders to last the week. Apparently not, dumb bastard. That night was also one of the worst. The ogres, brownskins and beasts got too impatient without a bitch to fuck or eat and decided some of them looked very delicious. He didn't know how many got eaten by those fuckers but if they were satisfied and didn't try to eat him, Theodore was fine with that.

The mercenary yawned once more before pulling down his pants and relieved himself. He flinched and frowned. Damn, now his piss fucking burns. That's not a good sign. He heard something from the distance but saw nothing. The last thing he felt, however, was a horrible pain on his temple before everything went dark. He didn't hear the screams of the other Black Dogs as they saw the arrow sticking out of his head or did he see the rain of arrows that followed suit.

~Line Break~

Falric watched as Sylvanas and her Rangers ran back towards them. While her Rangers retreated, the High-Elf instead climbed up the saddle of his mount and secured herself behind him. Sylvanas looked over her shoulder and nodded. A Ranger fired a flaming arrow into the sky, alarming the hastily armed Black Dogs of their position. As the mercenaries set their sights in Sylvanas' group of 248 Alliance soldiers, they fail to notice the 1100 cavalry charging from up the hill. They realized their mistake too late when they heard the sound of hooves and the battle cries of the cavalry.

Joan's cavalry trampled over the mercenaries flank, catching them off guard. Said Paladin swung her weapon down and crushed or cut any Black Dog that was unlucky enough to be in her way. A spearman thrust his weapon at her but the Paladin moved her head aside and grabbed the weapon's shaft. She pulled the weapon off the spearman's hands and kicked him in the head, sending him to the ground. Her horse raised it's front legs and slammed them down on the downed spearman's head, creating a bloody mess. Roars bellowed through the night as the beasts entered the fight. An arrow whizzed pass her head and struck a brownskin right between the eyes, halting it's charge as it fell to it's knees before falling face first into the ground.

Falric and Sylvanas rode past the Paladin. The Captain manned the reins at the same time using his sword to cut down Black Dogs that the horse hadn't run over. Behind him, Sylvanas hit her targets with perfect accuracy despite the fact she was on horseback. Behind the two, the rest of their forces charged as well. Shifting the Black Dogs attention back and forth between Joan's forces and theirs. Further back, the Rangers scattered in groups as they pelted the beasts with arrows from different directions. Their biggest targets were the ogres, easy enough to spot but can take a lot of hits before it could go down. The wolfmen were a bit of a problem but with enough arrows through the head and body will get the job done and the same can be said for the brownskins. One ogre managed to use it's club and smack Falric and Sylvanas off their mount before being struck down with arrows to the head. The Captain rolled a few feet away before steadily getting back up to his feet. He picked up his sword and a discarded one from the ground before looking for the Ranger-General.

Falric spotted the High-Elf on top of an ogre. The beast tried to swat her away but Sylvanas pulled out three arrows and fired them in one draw at the top of the ogre's head. The Ranger-General quickly jumped off the dying beast and landed on the ground with a roll. Using her bow as a blunt weapon, she swung and struck a Black Dog on the knee before using the bow to strangle the man. The Captain quickly turned around and crossed his blades to block an axe. Pushed back slightly, Falric quickly recovered and lunged at the axe wielder. The Black Dog looked up just in time for Falric's blade to run through the mercenary's throat. Grunting, the Captain pulled his blade free and kicked the body back before stabbing a mercenary that charged him across the gut. The Black Dog had screamed and raised his sword when he decided to charge Falric, leaving him open for the Captain. Falric then ducked under the mercenary's arm and placed himself behind the Black Dog before swiftly slitting the man's throat open.

On the other side of the field, Joan huffed as she circled the pathetic mercenary on his knees as he tried to keep his intestines from falling out before raising her Maul-Axe high and chopping his head off. The Paladin pulled her weapon from the ground and observed the battlefield. The plan worked for the most part. Draw the Black Dogs attention towards Sylvanas' group then her forces move in to flank the Dogs, turning their attention towards her then Falric's own cavalry flank the Dogs once more. The only problem was that they weren't killing the Black Dogs fast enough. The initial surprise had caught them off guard but pretty soon they'll recover. Fortunately, both cavalry charges managed to cut down a large number of the mercenaries. The Half-Elf looked to the side to see Annette wretch her sword free from a Black Dog's corpse. The brunette soon joined her.

"The plan's working!"

"I can see that, girl. I'm not blind." Joan replied with playful sarcasm before spotting Maia, who was in the middle of executing her opponent, amidst the battle.

The redhead had plunged her dagger between a Black Dog's shoulder and neck before kneeing him in the gut then the head. Maia spun in place and severed the man's head with her shortsword. She pulled her dagger free and moved to her next victim but was stopped when a Black Dog grabbed her shoulder. The redhead sneered and grabbed the man's forearm in a vice grip. She swung her shortsword down and severed the mercenary's arm before planting her dagger in his throat. A third mercenary wrapped his arms around the redhead and lifted her up, constraining her arms and stopping her from killing the man. The Black Dog slammed her to the ground before grabbing her by the hair and slamming her face to the earth. Dazed from the blow, she didn't realize the mercenary had brought his hand on her head and pushed her down. He then started to pull off her leotard but was stopped by a swing from a Maul-Axe. The face of the hammer part cracked his skull and threw him off the redhead. The mercenary slowly looked up just in time to see the Maul-Axe about to crush his head.

Meanwhile, Maia slowly started to rise but felt a hand grab her by the arm and pull her to her feet. The redhead looked to the hand's owner and saw Justinia. The silver haired Knight opened her mouth to say something but stopped to parry a large Black Dog's greatsword. Shaking her head, Maia saw the big mercenary fighting Justinia. Picking up her weapons, the redhead jumped and attached herself on the big guy's back, repeatedly stabbing the mercenary with her dagger. Justinia saw her opportunity and cut the man's abdomen open. The large mercenary fell to his knees and screamed in pain before being silenced by a dagger through the skull.

"Take that, you big fuck." She twisted the blade before wrenching it free from the Black Dog's head. Maia kicked the corpse down before looking at the Knight "You good?"

Justinia nodded before placing two fingers on her mouth and whistled. A few moments later, a white stallion trampled a handful of mercenaries as it made it's way to it's mistress. The Knight quickly hopped up the saddle and rejoined the rest of Falric's cavalry. She rallied them and stepped out of the battlefield, circling around and flanking the Dogs from different sides. The hit-and-run tactics worked as Joan's force kept the mercenaries busy enough for them to pick off little by little. Speaking of Joan, said Paladin slammed her hammer down on the ground and caused a shockwave that threw the Black Dogs surrounding her in to the air. She let out a huff before throwing the Maul-Axe towards the center of the enemy lines. The weapon landed with a loud crash and emitted golden lightning that struck any of the mercenaries near it. Joan ducked from a sword swing and sent a fast punch on her attacker's gut followed by a heavy uppercut that threw him on his back to the ground.

Before she could deal the finishing blow, she was suddenly grabbed by an ogre and lifted her up in the air. The Half-Elf roared as the beast threw her away, soaring over the battlefield and landed right to where her weapon was. Gritting her teeth, Joan stood up and grabbed her Maul-Axe. She set her sights on the ogre and bared her teeth.

"I will not falter!" She roared before rapidly spinning her weapon around her, gaining more speed and turning into a small cyclone in the battlefield. She raged across the field and cut down any of the mercenaries in her path. By the time she was close to the ogre, Joan was bathed in the blood of the dead Black Dogs. The ogre threw off the lower half of it's victims body as it swallowed the rest before turning around to see a small tornado heading it's way. The Paladin stooped spinning but used her momentum to leap high into the air and slam her weapon's hammer down on the beast's head. Joan landed on her feet just as the beast drew it's last breath.

On the other side of the battle, Falric severed the head of a brownskin before ducking from the swing of an ogre's club. The Captain rolled to the side to avoid the beast's attack once more before it was riddled with arrows. He looked to the side to see Sylvanas, along with six Rangers, with their bows drawn. The Rangers quickly scattered as Sylvanas moved towards Falric.

"Can you still fight?"

Falric didn't get advance to reply as he blocked a strike with his swords and kicked the mercenary back. He quickly threw the blade on his left hand and struck the Black Dog right in the heart. He let out a huff and turned back to Sylvanas.

"I can do this all night."

'Not really.'

The High-Elf smirked before pulling an arrow from her quiver and moving to the side to avoid an axe to the back. She turned to her attacker plunged the arrow deep into his right eye. She pulled the arrow out and shot it at another mercenary running towards her with his weapon raised above his head. The arrow sailed through the air and struck the Black Dog in the left eye.

It wasn't long before the Black Dogs were routed. They were caught by surprise, flanked and demoralized as their numbers slowly dwindled. The mercenaries turned tail and ran, some dropped their weapons and pushed others aside so they can get away faster. Their destination? Ansur.

Falric watched the mercenaries retreating backs and sighed in relief. It was over. Rad still stands and they can finally return to Feoh. He'll discuss with Sylvanas and Lady Maia about sending their forces to Ken for relief before travelling back to Feoh. They'll let Lightgazer handle things from here. The Captain led the rest of his forces to scavenge whatever's left of the Black Dog's encampment. He let them do all the work while he took a seat on one of the crates. It was then he realized how tired he really was. They may have waited 'til midnight to begin the attack but it was still only a few hours after repelling a recent siege from the Dogs. When they're done here, he'll just lie on a bed and sleep for a whole day. By the next day, it was back to the daily routine of a Captain. Overseeing training, defenses, etc. He then wondered if they can still take back Ansur or just let someone else do it for now.

~Line Break~

Ansur

When the Dogs retreated to the former city of the Halflings, they thought they would greeted by the sight of their fellow mercenaries waiting for them. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The banners they set up on the walls of Ansur were gone. Replaced by ones they were unfamiliar with. Despite the different banners, they didn't care. As long as they can get to the city and away from the Lordaeronians, nothing mattered. Once the mercenaries reached the gates, it slowly opened. Before it could even open fully, one of the Black Dogs pushed past the others and made a run for the entrance only to meet his end as a large, wicked looking axe sailed through the air and lodged itself on the man's head, all the way down to his abdomen. The force of the weapon sent the corpse lying on it's back.

Ansur's gates opened all the way and revealed a single, greenskin Orc. It was tall and muscular. It bared it's fangs as it glared at the Black Dogs. It wore no shirt and it's hair was tied into a tail. The most distinguishing feature the Orc had was the black tattoos on it's jaw. The Black Dogs stared in shock and fear as the Orc slowly made it's way to the corpse and wrenched the axe none too gently from the dead man. Soon, more Orcs emerged from the gates. All had varying weapons and features. One even had a large blade for a hand. As the Orcs approached the mercenaries, the cowering Black Dogs heard the Orcs begin to chant.

"GROM, GROM, GROM, GROM, GROM!"

The Black Dog's fears skyrocketed when the first Orc let out a wicked grin. It raised it's weapon in the air and roared.

"FOR THE HORDE!"

The Black Dogs screamed and backed away as the number of Orcs charged at them. The one with the axe was the first to draw blood by cutting a mercenary's head off and showering the ones beside him with blood. The night was filled with screams of terror and pain but it was drowned out by the roars of triumph from the Horde.


	10. Might of Lordaeron Ch 10

**A/N: Just a Filler chapter. Got no clue how this will go now.**

Jaina blinked as she reread the letter again and made sure she read it right. Another purple beam of light appeared in the sky a week ago and dropped a Tavern, of all things, between the borders of Feoh and Ur. When Alicia went to investigate said Tavern, the young blonde returned a day later with a collection of cards and a medal. Now the Knight had become a frequent patron of the tavern which was slowly getting more and more patrons as of late. As for the letter in her hand, it was sent by the Tavern's innkeeper. A dwarf named Harth Stonebrew. It was an invitation to play the card game, Hearthstone. The very thing that made Alicia return again and again to the Tavern.

Now that she thought about it. The girl was always on the move nowadays. If she wasn't investigating possible traitors in Feoh, she was either spending her time with Prim, training her Knights, discussing city affairs with her or persuading Arthas to tell her stories about the Dark Portal and the wars that followed. The girl can't stand not doing anything and judging from the smile on her face when she returned last night, this Tavern must be good for her. Of course the sack of gold was what made that smile even bigger. The blonde Princess Knight swore it was a prize given to winners by the Innkeeper. Losers don't lose anything and are free to play again. Jaina looked at the stack of finished papers on her left then back to the letter in her hand.

'Maybe just one visit. What's so great about this game anyway?'

~Line Break~

Three Days Later

Arthas watched Jaina and Alicia leave Feoh once more before scratching the back of his head. What is it with those two and that Tavern? The Prince shook his head before making his way back to the city. Whatever it is, they're free to do as they wish. Besides, it's not like they need his permission to do anything. As long as Alicia doesn't do anything reckless. Ha! This coming from him? By the Light, he is turning into Uther.

The Prince made his way through the city, greeting her citizens as they passed. He passed by Lightbringer District and spotted Father Elrothar along the way. The High Elven Priest and a bespectacled nun greeted him and the Prince decided to leave the Priest and his student to their training. Almost half of Feoh's original population had converted to the Light now. This meant more practitioners of the Light and her miracles. More Priests and Priestesses means less people dying. Whether from battle or diseases. Maybe he should reform the Order of the Silver Hand here. Lordaeron's army won't do if there's only two Paladins. Of course, he still had to find those willing to become Paladins in the first place. He wondered if Falric, Valerius or Joan had anyone in mind.

Arthas reached the Market District and spotted Prim buying food again. Whether it was for the men in the Barracks or for dinner tonight was anyone's guess. He walked over to the pinkette just as she accidentally tripped and threw the basket of food in the air. Arthas caught the basket and all it's contents before helping Prim up her feet. He smiled down at the girl and ruffled her hair.

"Didn't I say you can always ask one of the guards or Footmen to help you with your groceries?"

"But they looked so busy with their duties that I didn't want to disturb them. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Prim. Now, come on. Is this everything or are there more things you need to buy?"

The pinkette nodded before leading the Prince towards the other stalls in the Market. Normally, it was always Alicia or Jaina that accompanied the girl but since they were preoccupied these days. He'll do it in their stead. There was also the fact that Arthas wanted to make sure she was safe and make sure she doesn't follow Alicia's example of ditching her guards to do who knows what.

~Line Break~

Valerius let out a satisfied sound as sipped cool water from his waterskin before leaning back on his chair. A few feet away, Sergeant Andrew was drilling the Footmen recruits into shape. The Captain laughed to himself as he saw some of the recruits struggling, remembering the first time his uncle taught him how to be a Footman. The crazy geezer may be old but his body and senses were sharp as ever.

"Oh, Sergeant." He called out "I think the boys had enough for today, wouldn't you say?"

"No, sir. They haven't. But if you say they are... "

"Ha! Perish the thought. You say they haven't then they haven't but it looks like you could use a break, Sergeant. Come, sit with me."

"With pleasure, sir."

The large Footman walked over to him and made himself comfortable on the chair on Valerius' left. The Captain reached under his seat and handed a cold bottle of 'grape juice'.

"Open that for me, would you."

The Sergeant nodded as he took the bottle while the Captain reached under his seat once more and retrieved two small chalices. He set them down on the small barrel between them just as the Sergeant did the same to the bottle. Valerius took the bottle and poured it's contents to both chalices. He set the bottle down and grabbed his cup before raising it to the Sergeant.

"Sergeant."

Andrew shrugged to himself before taking the other cup and raising it as well "Captain."

The two tapped their cups to the other's before drinking. All the while ignoring the glares coming from the recruits as the sun bore down on them.

"This is the life."

"Certainly, sir."

~Line Break~

Ken

Celestine Lucross smiled as she watched Claudia oversee a new training method for her Dawn Templars. The Alliance were kind enough to provide them with armor similar to the one Prince Arthas and Lady Jaina had made for her friend. Beside the High Elf, Olga looked at her fingernails before letting out a bored sigh.

After the Horde drove the Black Dogs from Ansur, Volt's forces have been quiet as of late. No villages or towns were attacked or raided. Seven Shields and Alliance scouts reported no movement from Garan or her former fortress. The only thing that happened these past few weeks was the arrival of the mysterious Tavern and nothing else. The Horde mostly kept to themselves and can only be seen in Thorn or Ansur. Most of the Horde's people in the former Halfling city were Goblins. Merchants and Engineers. The same goes for the Alliance's people. A large number of Dwarves moved to Ansur and show the local populace the 'Finest Dwarven craftsmanship' and proved they were better than the Goblins. Of course the Halflings didn't want to be outshone by the other two, especially in their city, and started a competition, of sorts, to see who was the better craftsman.

'Dwarves. Halflings. Goblins. Ugh. Ansur's full of short people now. Annoying, blabbering, little shi- '

"Hey, Olga. Hey, Olga. Hey, Olga. Hey, Olga."

The Dark Elf's brow twitched as the blonde continued to pester her by poking the side of her head. She grabbed Celestine's wrist and glared at the innocent look the blonde was giving her "What?"

Using her other hand, Celestine poked Olga on the nose. The Dark Elf rose a delicate eyebrow at the blonde's actions.

"Boop."

~Line Break~

Claudia Levantine eyed every move her Dawn Templars made. After what happened at Geofu, she swore that she wouldn't get caught off guard again. That includes her Templars. Thinking of Geofu reminded her of her Klaus and his death. Death at the hands of his own father, her mentor, Grave Levantine. The thought of him and the atrocities he had done fueled her with anger. Rage filled her entire being and the Knight-Commander grabbed her sword and bisected the nearest training dummy before moving on to the next one. The other Templars had moved to the side as their leader cut down dummy after dummy, unsure if they should intervene but also afraid of what will happen if they do.

"Amazing. Now the training dummy army will think twice about messing with you, girl."

Claudia turned to the speaker and saw the Half-Elf Paladin slowly clapping her hands, mocking her. Beside the Paladin was one of her Dawn Templars, Annette who was looking at her in fear and concern. Then the Half-Elf spoke again.

"As great as it is to see you tear those dastardly dummies apart, how will you fare against the Black Dogs again?"

"They will fall by my hand."

"Odd. That's a little different from what I've heard. Tell me. Will your little incident in Geofu happen again?"

Claudia roared as she charged Joan, who gripped her Maul-Axe and charged as well. The two collided and began a battle between two Blessed Knights. They traded blows, blows so hard that some felt a shockwave every time their weapons meet. None of the Dawn Templars dare get in between the two.

From her spot, Celestine opened her mouth to order them to cease their fighting but Olga held up a hand to stop her and reassured the High Elf that her friend will not be harmed. The blonde closed her mouth and returned to her seat but could not help worry whether the fight would turn bloody.

~Line Break~

Anna Florence, Ian Florence and Grace Campbell stared slackjaw at the sight before them. The group of bandits, mercenaries and orcs lay dead around the two figures in the middle of the village. One was a greenskin Orc with long white hair tied to a tail with a long beard. It was shirtless but wore a set of large beads around it's neck. It carried a Sashimono and wore a red Hakama and a pair of Geta. The Orc also wielded a large Katana. To the trio, and the other villagers who witnessed the slaughter of their would-be slavers, the Orc looked like it came from Thorn.

Their second savior was... odd, to say the least. It was as tall as the Orc and wore a set of black robes and pants. It also wore sandals and a cone hat. It had a large barrel under it's arm and a large staff with a gourd tied to one end on the other. The most peculiar thing about this one is that it was a bear. A bear with white fur but it's 'beard' and paws were black.

The Orc huffed before wiping off the blood that stained his blade "They dare call themselves Orcs? Bah! They are a mockery!"

"Quell your anger, my friend. They are no longer your concern, Blademaster. Now." The bear grabbed the gourd from it's staff and drank from it before letting out a satisfied hum. It then offered the gourd to the Orc "Here, Blademaster. This'll certainly put hair all over you. Hahaha."

"My thanks, Brewmaster."

"I wonder where our Beast-handling friend had gone off to?"

The villagers watched in silence as their saviors went on their merry way to Goddess knows where. Grace scratched the back of her head before looking at her friends "That was... odd, right?"

The married couple could only answer with a shrug before deciding to rouse the villagers from their stupor. Someone has to clean the bloody mess the odd duo made. Besides, these bandits may still have some valuables on their person. It'd be a shame if it were just left to burn with the bodies.

~Line Break~

Stonebrew Tavern

"Wait. Just one more, please! One more and I get another sack of gold!"

Arthas could feel his eye twitch in annoyance. The sun had already set and the moon had taken it's place in the sky. Jaina had returned to Feoh before sundown but Alicia had stayed behind to 'play one more game'. When it was almost time for dinner and the Princess Knight still hadn't return, making Prim worry too much that she would probably make a trench from all her pacing. So Arthas took it upon himself to retrieve their wayward blonde and rode to Stonebrew Tavern. After greeting the dwarven Innkeeper and politely asking where Alicia was, the Prince tried to coax her away from the table only to stubbornly refuse and continue her game. Minutes passed of unsuccessful persuasion, he ended up dragging the girl by the collar of her armor. Unfortunately, she escaped his grasp by kicking him up the 'crown jewels' and tried to get back to her game. Despite the pain, the Prince of Lordaeron managed to grab the girl by the ankle and stopped her in her tracks, falling face first into the ground. Arthas shakily got to his feet and dragged the other blonde by her ankle out the door, ignoring her pleas for one more round even as she tried to crawl back to the table.

"Alicia, this has to stop." Arthas stated through gritted teeth. He's gonna have to ask one of the castle servants to get a sack of ice, maybe two, later "Prim and I were worried sick. You're becoming too addicted to this game."

"But it's so fun!"

"Even if it is, you have to stop at some point. You're still a Knight, Alicia. I won't forbid you to play that game indefinitely but try to balance it out with the rest of your duties, alright?"

Alicia sighed but conceded "Fine. I'll try. Can you let me go now?"

"Good."

Feeling the grip loosen from her ankle, Alicia stood up and brushed the dust off her armor before looking up at Arthas. Rather than wearing his armor, the Prince was wearing a finely tailored tunic shirt and black wraps around his forearm. He still wore the trousers and boots he wears along with his armor but forgoing the armor pieces. She was suddenly aware of what she had done inside the Tavern and scratched the back of her head sheepishly "Uh, sorry about, you know, kicking you in the groin."

"It's alright but" Arthas awkwardly walked towards his steed, Invincible, and grabbed his reins but did not climb the saddle "Let's just walk back to Feoh for now."

"Okay. Sorry, again."

"Let's not talk about it, alright?"

"Yeah. Got it."

And so, Arthas and Alicia made their way back to Feoh on foot. Fortunately, the food was still warm when they got back and Prim was just happy that they did. Unfortunately, Arthas had to decline Jaina's offer for the night and ended up making the Archmage laugh herself to sleep when he explained the reason why. This was so not his day.

~Line Break~

A helmless Falric hummed a tune as he inspected the nightly patrol of the city's walls. Seeing everything was in order, the Captain leaned on the parapet before taking out his smoking pipe and looked across the moonlit fields surrounding the city of Feoh. He wondered if they would ever find a way home or if he'll be there to see it.

"The road goes ever on and on... Why am I singing this? I'm not even walking."

"Talking to yourself, Captain?"

Falric turned his head to the source of the voice and straightened as he saw Ranger-General Sylvanas walking towards him. It has been a while since they last saw each other. Their duties kept them away from the 'dinner' he owed her. He wasn't really sure how he felt about that.

"Talking to oneself alone is not good for you, Falric. Your soldiers might think you've gone insane."

Upon hearing her call him by his name, the Captain relaxed "Well, after everything that's happened. I'm surprised my insanity just began to show."

"Indeed." The High Elf crossed her arms and joined him in looking over the fields "Do you think we'll ever return to Azeroth?"

"I'm... not sure. In time, perhaps. But I think I won't be there to witness it."

"Oh. Why's that?"

Falric sighed and took a puff of smoke "Lady Jaina has had no progress ever since we came here. Lady Lucross and Discordia too. Perhaps in the future, we might find a way but... " Another puff "Would Azeroth be the same as the way we left it? Would there even be an Azeroth to return to? For all we know, the Undead could've taken over by now." He took another puff before sighing "Besides, this world is starting to grow on me. Apart from the Dogs, it's quite peaceful."

"Agreed." Sylvanas muttered before looking at the Captain "You know. Tonight's the perfect night for that dinner you owe me."

Falric chuckled and shook his head "Ah. That. Very well, my Lady." He gave one last puff of smoke before nodding his head towards the way she came "Shall we?"

"Finally."

~Line Break~

Thorn

From atop a cliff overlooking the city of Ogrimmar, formerly Thorn, the Warchief watched. Thrall still wondered if this was what the Prophet meant when he said travel West but that wasn't the case. This isn't Kalimdor. Far from it from what he heard of this world's inhabitants. Speaking of this world, it was different... to say the least. Brownskin Orcs that were no more than savage animals. Fueled by their list for blood and women. Aligning with HUMAN mercenaries to boot. Thrall refused to be affiliated with such creatures. He made sure that Grom made an example of them. Besides, his Blood Brother needed something to sate his thirst for battle and so Thrall gave it.

Although, having Nazgrel turn the Brownskins into scarecrows as a warning to those who oppose them might have been a bit too much. At least he didn't use the humans instead. Sure they didn't have the Alliance on their back anymore but it seems humans, one way or another, will always find a reason to battle the Horde. These Black Dogs were an example of that. Dishonorable cur. After Ansur, however, the Dogs had ran back to their land with their tails between their legs.

"Warchief."

Thrall turned to the soft spoken voice and saw the Shrine Maiden, Kaguya "Yes? Is there something wrong?"

"No, Warchief. It's just... " The black armored Orc raised an eyebrow as the young woman approached him "My people are grateful for what you've done for Thorn. Truly. But there are those who still view you as the same as the Black Dog's orcs. They have grown more restless after Ansur and a spy of the Seven Shields has notified me of a possible... uprising. An uprising with the goal to drive the Horde away from Thorn."

"Hmm. We had the power to conquer Thorn and take it for ourselves yet we didn't. I took a risk in letting your people stay after all the Horde has been through and now it seems my decision has come back to haunt me. I will not ask your people to leave but if this uprising occurs, nothing will stop the Horde from taking up arms." Thrall looked away from the Shrine Maiden and gazed back at the city "We had left the Seven Kingdoms in hopes of finding a future away from the humans. A future where we are free from them... and our curse. We are not animals but we will not hesitate to strike back if they harm the Horde in anyway. I would've settled this peacefully. If they bring their army then I will do all I can to dissuade them from this path to prevent any unnecessary bloodshed but if they cannot be dissuaded."

The Warchief turned back to Kaguya with his teeth bared and his large hand gripping Doomhammer tightly. Kaguya stopped herself from taking a step back, reminding herself that his ire was not directed at her.

"Then let them come."


	11. Might of Lordaeron Ch 11

**_A/N: Since I don't really know much about the Kuroinu world, I'm just gonna make things up as I go. Mostly inspired by Warhammer or any other Fantasy series in general, like The Elder Scrolls series. Some of them might actually be taken from other series really. Speaking of Warhammer, 40K, to me, is meh. Fantasy on the other hand, now that's good... Is it weird that I like Warhammer Fantasy, along with Warcraft and StarCraft but not 40K? People be saying this is a ripoff of this and that and it just goes back and forth and back and forth etc, etc. Can't people just enjoy this instead of shitting on the other. Probably not but still... Anyway, enough if that. On with the story. Oh! BTW, when I wrote this, I think I made it into a Total War game instead of Warcraft. Oh, well!_**

~Line Break~

The City of Feoh, now formally recognized as the Capital of the Alliance or the Capital. Together, Feoh and Ur made up the territory of the Alliance. The Black Dogs have gone dark. Not a word nor even a whisper was heard about the perverse army of mercenaries. The only thing the world knows was that they had retreated to Garan and was never heard from again. While the threat of the Dogs was temporarily quelled, everyone knew that they would return one day, the Alliance set their sights northwest.

Kühlschrank. A region ruled by barbarians who were no different than the Black Dogs. It all began when reports of unknown barbarians travelling too close to Alliance borders. A week after the reports came in, tragedy struck. A town near the border was pillaged and their inhabitants slaughtered, raped or enslaved. The barbarians, who call themselves Grellians, left a message in the form of the town mayor's bare body, along with his family, hanged by the neck up on the town's gate. Such an act caused the Alliance to take action. The Prince himself was the one to lead the campaign against the Grellian tribes.

So far, Arthas had managed to conquer the eastern part of the region. As it turned out, the province was full of different tribes, each with their own unique strengths and specialties. Horsemasters, Hunters, Berserkers and the like. They used to be ruled by different chieftains but now only serve one barbarian king. King Gallix the Ruthless. Now that he knew who his adversary was, Arthas was determined to bring the King of Grells down and pay them back with blood. But after a string of victories, Arthas' campaign was put on hold as winter fell upon them. The nights were long and the wolves grow hungry. The savages, more familiar with the terrain and climate, used this to their advantage slowly chip away the Alliance Forces. Not fighting in open battle. They would pick at the scabs until it bled but the Alliance endured.

Ten months. Ten months since their first arrival and only a quarter of those months passed before winter struck but it seems that there was no end to the bitter cold in sight. The Alliance weren'lt attuned for such a long, harsh winter but the Grells were and they used it to their advantage. They would harass Alliance supply lines and lead their forces to unfavourable combat terrain. One such example was when they lost a large fighting force in a forest trail. Dead to the last man yet they weren't even outnumbered. But despite all that, the Alliance managed to pull through even if it was little by little. For now, however, Prince Arthas and his forces were in the midst of building a fort. One of the many they have built after conquering a settlement and garrisoned it by troops coming from the Capital. In doing so, the Alliance was slowly getting bigger and bigger with each victory. This one was different because it was the largest fortified settlement they have conquered.

Many of the former inhabitants, mostly women, children, elderly and young men, were not harmed nor mistreated and were free to roam around the fort. Their warriors, however, were a different story. Many have died and those who didn't were imprisoned. Those who refused to submit were executed while those who did submit were free to join their families. But even then, the Alliance kept a close eye on them at all times, even the women and children. An uprising would spell bad for their campaign after all.

"Captain Falric, how's the fort coming along?" Arthas asked as he walked by the barracks which was currently under construction. Next to the barracks were hundreds and hundreds of tents occupied by Footmen, Riflemen, Knights and Auxiliaries. The Knights had their mounts in the stables which was thankfully finished.

"All is going well, my Lord. We'll have it done before nightfall." The Captain replied before the two entered a large tent belonging to the Prince himself.

Inside, Arthas took his stood by the table and stared down at the map of the province. Kühlschrank. So far, they had conquered nearly all of the eastern part of the region but they still had a long way to go if they want to truly win this war and expand the Alliance. If Gallix is slain and the others surrender, then they'll work on making Kühlschrank a province of the Alliance.

"Any word from Alicia yet?"

"No, my Lord. But the settlement's not far. We can provide aid in a short amount of time."

"Hmm. How many did she take?"

"Two hundred and forty Knights, four hundred and eighty Footmen, one hundred and sixty Rangers, four Trebuchets and four Onagers."

Arthas hummed in thought before sitting on his chair and leaning back, placing his elbow on the armrest and resting his head on his fist. Waiting. It was all he can do for now. He just hoped that army was sufficient.

~Line Break~

Wolf's Den, Kühlschrank

Alicia Arcturus grunted as she wrenched her blade free from the Grellian's heart and kicked away the body. The blonde paused to take in the scene around her. All around her, Knights and Footmen fought to the death against the barbaric Grells. Steel met flesh and blood stained the very ground they stand upon. Some of the buildings inside the fortified settlement, Wolf's Den, were burning as well. She didn't know how it started. Alicia didn't recall ordering any of the Rangers to fire flaming arrows during the initial siege.

"Rrrrraaaaaa- "

Alicia turned around and raised her sword to block only to see the barbarian with a sword protruding from his throat. The blonde looked up at the owner of the blade to see the purple haired Knight, Eve.

"My Lady, the Grells are retreating to the Great Hall. We have them surrounded."

"Good. Encircle them. Let's see if we can have these hairy bastards surrender." Alicia whistled and her steed trampled a barbarian as it made it's way to her. She climbed up the saddle "To me, my soldiers! Don't let these barbarian bastards get away!"

A second Knight approached her and handed Alicia a banner which she riased above her head after sheathing her sword while the second Knight blew a horn. The Alliance soldiers roared as they chased after the fleeing Grells. During the siege, the Alliance managed to break through the front gate. After doing so, Alicia signalled the catapults to open fire on the east and west section of the wall while the three hundred and twenty Footmen guarding both groups of siege engines waited. As the catapults unleashed their barrage, Alicia's Knights, along with a hundred and sixty Footmen charged through the front gate and met the brunt of the defending Grellian forces. Behind their lines, the eighty Rangers fired volley after volley past their forces and right into the enemy's second line. Once the walls were breached, the rest of the army joined in. The result was that the Grells were attacked on three fronts. Their numbers dwindled while their morale dropped and it wasn't long until only a token force remained which they routed to the Great Hall.

"We have them surrounded, my Lady. There's no way for them to escape." Eve informed, receiving a nod from Alicia.

The blonde Knight rode her steed to the front and dismounted. A group of Footmen formed beside her, shields raised and ready to protect their commander should the barbarians try anything.

"Grellians of Wolf's Den, you are surrounded! You're settlement is ours. Your warriors need not to die and your people need not to suffer more. Surrender. Lay down your arms and you will be spared. All of you."

Alicia waited for their answer. Personally, she didn't want them to fight but if they force her hand she will. The large doors parted and a tall, muscular woman with brown hair walked out. She had blue war paint on her face and was wearing a set of fur clothing. She held a bloody Long Axe on one hand and a severed head on the other.

"Do you swear on your honor that my people will not be slaughtered, Eostian?"

"On my honor as the Princess Knight of Iris and a commander of the Alliance. Your people will be treated fairly and just. No harm shall come to them for as long as I draw breath."

"Very well." The woman raised the severed head high in the air "This is Olfrin the Bear. Former Chieftain of the Stormwolves. He refused to surrender and would've brought the end of my people with him. With his death. I, Brünnhilde, claim the title of Chieftain. You keep your word, Eostian. It is rare for a Grellian to surrender for the safety of their own kin."

"I know." Alicia replied, knowing full well that barely a handful of Grellian tribes willingly surrendered to the Alliance, before turning to Eve "Start repairing the fortress settlement and garrison the troops. I'll take forty Knights with me and report back to Prince Arthas."

"As you wish, my Lady."

She then looked at Brünnhilde as the taller woman approached. If she had to guess, she was only a few inches shorter than Arthas and that was the tallest man Alicia has ever seen. Well, there were some tall ones in the Black Dogs but they weren't as tall as the Prince.

"Seeing as you're the Chieftain of the Stormwolves. I believe my leader would very much like to speak to you."

"Very well." Was the woman's curt reply.

Alicia hummed before climbing up her mount once more and looked down at the Grellian Chieftain "Do you have a mount or shall we provide you with one?"

"That will not be necessary. I'll fetch my own from the stables. That is if Olfrin hadn't burned it yet."

Alicia followed after the woman as her troops began to scatter and do their duties.

'Just a few more key settlements and the eastern region will be ours.' Alicia thought as they reached the stables and Brünnhilde climbed up the saddle of a large brown steed.

"We make for Fort Lightbringer post haste."

"As you wish."

~Line Break~

Fort Lightbringer, Kühlschrank

Night had befallen upon them and the moon illuminated the forest surrounding the fort while torches attached to the buildings gave light inside the base. Arthas had left his tent sometime ago to check the progress of the Workers. The Barracks were built as well as the Blacksmith and Lumber Mill. In fact, there multiple Barracks built on key areas of the fort. The watchtowers were emplaced with cannons and the walls were patrolled by Footmen and Riflemen. Arthas wanted to make sure that the fort was well defended. It was, after all, one of the major settlements in the eastern region and a major foothold for the Alliance.

"Milord."

Arthas turned to see a Footman approach him.

"What is it, soldier?"

"Lady Alicia has returned, milord. And she brought a guest with her."

"Thank you, soldier. I'll meet her at the gate. Tell the Workers to take a break for dinner. They can finish up the rest tomorrow."

"Right away, milord."

The Footman saluted before leaving. Arthas then made his way to the front gate. The Prince hated the cold. Cursed it even. He's had a string of victories ever since he step foot Kühlschrank but as soon as winter hit, his campaign's pace was slowed down. It didn't help that their lines were stretched thin thanks to the distance of the settlements. Arthas reached the front gate and nodded for the guards to open. He waited for the portcullis to rise and the gates to part before stepping aside as Alicia and forty Knights rode in with their mighty steeds. The Princess Knight stopped her horse in front of Arthas and a tall, muscular brunette followed suit. From her state of dress, it was obvious that the woman was Grellian. Arthas helped Alicia down before placing a hand on the top of her head and ruffling her hair, much to the younger blonde's annoyance.

"The siege went well I take it?"

"Indeed. I would also like to inform you that the Stormwolf Clan has surrendered in return that no further harm shall befall upon them and on my honor, I intend to see it through." Alicia then motioned for the Grellian.

"And this is Brünnhilde. The new Chieftain of the Stormwolves."

"New?" Arthas asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Olfrin was a stubborn fool. He would rather let the entire Clan die for his pride than let them live. At first, I thought he would have us all fight to the death. I would've followed him as well if I had not seen the look in his eyes. He grabbed the closest one he could grabbed and killed them. His reason? He would rather the Clan die by his hand than let you or Gallix do it. He went on and on about how you will rape and slaughter us just as Gallix will if we call for him. When I looked into my people's eyes, I saw fear. Not from the army outside the Great Hall but from the madman set on killing them one by one. So I took matters into my own hands and ended his reign. As per tradition, the one who slays the Chieftain will become the new Chieftain."

"You." Alicia stated. Getting a nod from the Grellian Chieftain.

"Yes. I care not for myself but for the lives if my people. I surrendered because it was the only chance they would have to not share the same fate as our fallen. If they hate me, then so be it. As long as they are safe, I am content."

Arthas was silent as he pondered on what to do. Deep inside, there was something about the way she described Olfrin's reasons bothered him. Like something was telling him that he would've done the same. But would he? Would Arthas really kill his people so he can deny his enemy the satisfaction in killing them? He was afraid to find out the answer. Alicia looked at the Prince with slight worry. She gave the Stormwolves her word. She didn't want to fight Arthas. In terms of strength and skill, she is outmatched. And she didn't want to fight someone who helped her city and someone she had grown to see as a brother. An older, doting, brother.

"I see." The Prince began before looking at Brünnhilde "Come walk with me. Alicia, by dawn you will return to the Stormwolf settlement and will be stationed there for the time being. Expect more troops to be sent your way for the coming weeks. They'll be reinforcing your army."

"Of course, Prince Arthas."

"Good." Arthas smiled and ruffled her hair one more time "Now, go get something to eat. It's almost dinner time."

"Got it, see ya."

Arthas watched her go before turning to the Grellian Chieftain and motioning at the road.

"Shall we?"

A nod from the woman and Arthas lead the way. He didn't really have a destination in mind. Just follow the road that circled the fort.

"I understand. The need to protect your people. Believe me, I do. But the Alliance will never forget what you Grellians have done to the town of Grimberg. You ravaged the town. Captured the women and raped them. Enslaved the rest. And hung the mayor and his family naked on the town's gate for all to see. The message was clear. War."

Brünnhilde was silent but Arthas wasn't finished.

"After what your people have done, give me one good reason other than Alicia that will make me spare your people from death?"

"We didn't have a choice. Ever since Gallix became King, he enforced his will on the other tribes. He was stronger than any Grellian in Kühlschrank. He has no equal. No one dared to oppose him and risk their clan. Through the years, Grellians heed his every word. No matter how distasteful it is. To him, we either please him or die along with the rest of the clan."

"But that still doesn't excuse what you've done to Grimberg." Arthas retorted as they stopped.

"We had no part in that. That was Gallix's tribe, the Frostborn."

"What can you tell me about him and his tribe?"

"Ruthless like their master. They are the ones that enforce his will. They see those they have slain as food, those they enslaved as entertainment and those they raped as breeding stocks. This is their way of life." Brünnhilde replied solemnly and sickened at the Frostborn's actions.

"Cannibals." Arthas sneered in disgust "No. Monsters."

"Aye. But Gallix is the worst of them all. Everyone in his tribe? All are his offspring or the offspring of his offspring."

"How is that possible?"

"Gallix is the first Frostborn. He has found the secret of eternal life and has ruled the tribes for centuries. The only reason he hadn't attacked the Seven Shields was because he saw them as too weak for the Grells so he left them alone. He said that their women were weak-willed and too easy. They will only bear him weak sons and daughters. But when he heard of your arrival and you Lordaeronians' prowess in battle, he sought to conquer you and have his clan bathe in the blood of your people. Use your women to bear him strong sons and daughters. He would save you for himself. Thinking that if he consume your flesh and bathe in your blood will make him more powerful."

"Hmm. So he wants us." Arthas muttered under breath. Jaina's face flashed into his mind and the thought of what the Barbarian King intended to do ignited a burning desire to kill the man. It simmered down when he remembered this was Jaina. A powerful Archmage. But still, his people were in danger if this man, no, animal breathes any longer "Like hell."

He turned to the Grellian Chieftain and stared her directly in the eye.

"You tell us everything you know about the other tribes, the terrain, the settlements, Gallix, everything. Give us manpower to help in building the forts and in return, you will be labelled as an ally of the Alliance. Your settlement will be repaired and you will govern Wolf's Den along with Alicia. You are under our protection, Chieftain Brünnhilde. Should you request aid then we will answer. You have my word as the Prince of Lordaeron." Arthas stated before holding out his hand.

Brünnhilde stared cautiously at the offered appendage before clasping the man's forearm. Arthas did the same and the two reached an agreement.

"Við höfum sátt, Prince Arthas."

~One Week Later~

Southwest Alliance Outpost, Kühlschrank

Captain Falric's eyes snapped open as he heard the men scream outside. No time to put on the rest of his plate, the Captain's armor consisted of a chainmail, his bracers and greaves. He grabbed his sword and shield and ran outside his tent only to see the small outpost was in chaos. Falric grabbed the closest Footman and asked what was happening.

"Grells, sir! They- "

The Footman was cut off as an arrow lodged itself on his neck. The tip must've been very sharp because it went right through the Footman's chainmail covered neck. Falric lay the dead soldier down before finding the shooter on the watchtower. He looked to the wooden wall and saw the barbarians climbing over said wall.

"Take out those ladders!" He ordered before gathering a band of Footmen and ordering them to brace the gate before running up the short flight of stairs to the wall. A Grellian reached the top of the ladder only for Falric to kick said ladder off the wall. The Captain moved to the second ladder and reached over to grab the Grellian by his fur clothing and pull him over the edge. Before the barbarian could recover, Falric stabbed his blade in the Grellian's heart. The Captain wrenched his sword free and kicked the ladder off the wall before feeling a sharp pain near his shoulder.

He looked to his left and saw the arrow sticking out. Luckily, it wasn't too deep. Thanks to the adrenaline that was running through his body, Falric pulled the arrow free and set his eyes on the archer. There he saw a young, blonde barbarian woman laughing gleefully as she fired arrows with great accuracy at his men. With the way she was yelling at the others, he assumed that this was their raiders' leader though he could be wrong. Snarling, the Captain ran towards the barbarian but was cut off by three Grellians.

Falric sneered before ducking under a barbarian's axe and swung his sword just below the Grellian's knee, severing part of the leg and forcing the barbarian to fall to his side on the ground. Falric switched to a reverse grip and plunged the blade into the barbarian's neck. He pulled his blade free and switched back to a normal grip before thrusting his blade at the Grellian that was charging at him. His sword passed through the barbarian's abdomen and out the back. Falric stood up and twisted his weapon before wrenching it free then slicing off the man's head in one fell swoop. Falric kicked the headless corpse down before throwing his sword at the last barbarian that stood in his way. Said weapon sailed through the air and went right into the charging Grellian's head, burying itself almost to the hilt.

The Captain pushed the body aside before it could hit the floor and ran towards the barbarian woman, not bothering to retrieve his weapon. Falric pulled an arrow free from a corpse before quickening his pace. The barbarian turned towards his direction and let loose an arrow to which he fluidly dodged. The Captain roared as he reached the woman and buried the arrow he held in her abdomen like he would a sword. The barbarian snarled and slammed her forehead to his but Falric simply growled and did the same to her. The blonde staggered back near the edge of the platform and tried to punch him but he ducked under the attack and tackled her, sending both of them falling over ghe edge. Falric's body slammed into the ground and the Captain groaned in pain. He then realized his adversary was nowhere in sight and looked to his right to see the barbarian was impaled on three poleaxe that was resting on a weapons rack. One impaled her through the heart. The second impaled her through the back of the head, the tip of the poleaxe protruding from her mouth while the third impaled her through the thigh.

"Captain!"

Falric looked to the source of the voice and saw a Sergeant and two other Footmen rush to him. They helped him up before one of them handed him a sword. He nodded in thanks before turning to the Sergeant.

"How many of these hairy bastards are out there?"

"At least two hundred and a half, sir."

"Good." The gap between his forces and theirs were short to none then. The outpost held two hundred and forty eight troops. A hundred and sixty eight Footmen, forty Footmen Archers and forty Auxiliary Spearwomen, courtesy of the Seven Shields "Keep them off the walls. I want the Footmen guarding the walls and make any attenpt at scaling it us foiled. Make sure the only way they can get in is through the front gate. Give the Spearwomen pikes and tell them to form a shield-wall phalanx in front of that gate to hold off the Grellians. They are crucial to the plan. Once the barbarians break through that gate, let them run into the pikes. Get those Archers set up behind the Spearwomen and rain arrows on those rabid bastards."

"Understood, sir."

Falric watched the Sergeant and his men leave to inform the troops. Already, he could see the Footmen running up the stairs that led to the top of the wall and forming a shield wall that prevented the enemy from getting through. The barbarians would set up ladders but the Footmen would kick it off the wall before it could even settle. To the gate, the Spearwomen hastily formed the shield-wall phalanx and waited with baited breath as the gate rumbled with every hit from the battering ram. Behind them, the Footmen Archers readied their bows as they waited as well. Falric made his way to the Spearwomen and squeezed inside the formation until he was at the forefront of the group. He raised his shield and aligned it with the Spearwomen, gripping his blade tightly as they waited for the barbarians to enter. Falric noticed the Spearwoman beside him quiver. The only one who actually looked scared. The rest of the Spearwomen where stone-faced, eager or determined.

"Steady yourself, soldier. You must not falter. Your brothers and sisters-in-arms are counting on you." He encouraged.

"Y-Yes, Captain." The woman stuttered out in reply.

A minute later, the gate finally gave out and the barbarians swarmed inside the outpost. Unfortunately for them, a shield-wall phalanx stopped them from getting anywhere past the gate. The Grellians were killed before they could even get anywhere near the Spearwomen. Had they worn armor and brought shields, the Grellians might have had a chance but alas they did not. Only their crude swords, axes and the fur clothes on their back. Soon, a pile of bodies formed by the gate. Seeing this, Falric raised his sword and signalled the Archers to fire a volley. A moment later, a sea of arrows passed over their heads and rained down on the unlucky barbarians. This continued until the Grellians finally realized it was futile to continue the battle further and retreated. Falric saw this and ordered the formation to disperse and the Archers to let loose at the retreating barbarians. He watched as only a handful of Grellians were left to cower and run away to the forest.

"Captain." Falric turned to the speaker to see the same Sergeant from before "Orders?"

"Gather the dead. At dawn, send them to Fort Lightbringer for a proper burial. Have this gate fixed and double the patrols on the wall. I want those on watchtower duty to be accompanied by two more Archers. Those who aren't doing anything or aren't being sent to the healers, take turns on watch duty. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then get moving!"

Falric watched them move before making his way to the healer's tent. When the adrenaline finally wore off, the pain of his wounds finally registered in his mind. He cursed the fact that the Grells may have crude weapons and armor but their arrows were very sharp to the touch. It's times like these that Falric wished they had a Priest for a healer rather than a Physician.

~Line Break~

The Capital, Feoh

From her seat at the head of the table, Jaina watched the gathered leaders of the Alliance. Among them were Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner. Chief Dwarven Engineers, Masters Bhog and Shorty. Father Elrothar of the Church of the Holy Light. Paladin Joan the Lightgazer of the Silver Hand. Speaking of the Order, the organization was slowly getting recruits for their order. Many of the Eostians had converted to the grace of the Light and many among them were great candidates for Priests and Paladins.

"Good Afternoon, everyone." Jaina began "I'm sure you are all wondering why I've summoned you here today."

After receiving nods of affirmative, she continued.

"It's been ten months since Prince Arthas departed for his campaign to the region of Kühlschrank. Recent reports say that the eastern and southernmost part of the region is under Alliance control."

Cheers came from the Dwarves and satisfied smirks appeared from the High Elf and Half Elf faces. Feoh was too small for their growing army. After all, recruits from nearby villagers and towns began flooding in the Capital's gates. Eager to fight for the Alliance. Dwarves hidden in the mountains came out of hiding to see their otherworldly bretheren and perhaps make trade as well. As their army grew in numbers, as did the Seven Shields' own. Though, many among them were women. The reason for this, the Alliance knew not.

"It will take long, perhaps a year maybe more before the region of Kühlschrank is fully conquered. But I have faith that the Alliance will triumph. Alas, troubling news have reached my ears." The Archmage opened the parchment in her hand and began to relay the message "Reports say of a large island appearing farther south. To the seas of Eostia."

"An island?" Joan spoke "How?"

"The same way we have arrived in Eostia. The transport beams." Jaina replied.

"Does the island have any inhabitants?" Sylvanas inquired.

"Yes. Pirates." The Archmage didn't bother to hide the disdain in her voice "A fishing village was attacked and everything was taken. Nothing was left but the burning remains of the village. Only a few bodies were found and we assumed that the rest were enslaved. The Seven Shields reported of having the same problem."

Murmurs sounded throughout the room. Even the guards seemed to hold a silent conversation from the background.

"Despite our growing forces, we'll be stretched thin if we send an army to the island. The Seven Shields are already building ships as we speak and are mustering a naval force to patrol the waters for any of the Pirates. Master Bohg." Jaina turned to the Dwarf.

"Aye?"

"Can your people build enough ships to make a fleet? We might not need it yet but we're bound to soon."

Said Dwarf crossed his arms and hummed in thought. His much shorter partner doing the same.

"Perhaps. The boys will have to work overtime though. We're still making a lot of Hand Cannons for the Footmen and Blunderbusses for our kin. There's also the fact that we still got those Siege Towers and Ballistae to work on. Hmm. I'll see what I can do."

The Siege Towers that were currently under construction weren't your ordinary siege towers. They had steel linings with the front of the tower armored along with cannons and a trebuchet. Due to it's armaments, this particular type of Siege Tower was not made to hold troops. This type of Siege Tower is classed as an Assault Tower. The other class of Siege Tower was pretty much the same sans the cannons and trebuchet, thus can actually hold troops inside.

"Thank you." Jaina nodded before facing the others once more "Now for our Pirate issue. Since we can't guard the seas, we can double the defenses of the towns and ports. I ask you here if any of you can spare your forces to help."

"Unfortunately, my Lady. The Silver Hand cannot." Joan replied "Despite our recruits, the Prince and I are the only true Paladins for now. Our recruits aren't ready yet and I am needed here for their training. My apologies."

"It's alright, Paladin Lightgazer." Jaina accepted the answer before turning to the Head Priest "Father Elrothar, what say you?"

"The Church of the Holy Light can provide at least two Priests and Priestesses for every port and town. This can also help spread religion there. That is, of course, if they are willing to lend us their ears."

"Thank you, Father. Ranger-General?"

"Are these ports and towns under the Alliance's protection?" The Quel'dorei General asked to which the Archmage replied with a nod "Then I can spare enough Rangers for at least two, maybe three, ports. I still have Rangers in Arthas' campaign so we're spread thin as well."

"Any help is welcome, Ranger-General. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, that will be all for today. Thank you."

Jaina bowed her head before rising from her seat and was escorted out by a pair if Kul'Tiran Royal Guards. The Royal Guards were different from the rest of the Kul'Tiran Castle Guards in appearance and rank. Royal Guards were handpicked by Jaina herself and were more heavily armed than their Castle Guard counterparts. They carried large Kite Shields and Halberds but also had their swords sheathed and hidden under their green cloaks along with a smaller version of the Footman's Hand Cannon. Royal Guards also had helmets with rather large ornaments that were shaped like a ship's anchor, the symbol of Kul'Tiras.

The next one to leave was Sylvanas, who were accompanied by two Farstriders. Masters Bohg and Shorty followed soon. Both deep in conversation about their new task. The only ones left were Father Elrothar and Joan. The Priest greeted her with a gentle smile on his face.

"Ah, Paladin Joan. It's been too long since we've seen you at the Church. Deapite not being understaffed, some of the childbearing women were wondering where their fighting nursemaid had run off too."

"Ugh." The Paladin groaned as she brought rubbed her temple "Don't remind me. As much as I like helping deliver their newborns, some of them don't know the phrase: Too much information. Light, how many gossip do those women even know?"

"Well, I do find them rather entertaining." Elrothar replied with a chuckle, making the Paladin snort in amusement.

"Only you, Father."

Father Elrothar was rather easygoing and more open-minded than some of the more zealous Priests and Paladins Joan knew. That was why a lot of people, even soldiers, look to Father Elrothar for advice. He even makes time for people who simply wished to talk about anything. Considering she was a Half Elf raised in an orphanage and looked down upon by most High Elves, Joan first thought that Elrothar would be the same yet she was proven wrong as the High Elf always seemed to regard her like an equal. It also helped that the Priest liked to make jokes that were funny.

"But they do miss you, Joan. Even the other nursemaids miss you."

"Alright, I'll see if I can visit the Church someday."

"Thank you, Paladin Joan." The Priest thanked with a smile before bidding her farewell. He was escorted out by two of his disciples. Joan watched them go before rising to her feet. She moved to leave but stopped before looking over her shoulder.

"Mind telling me why you're lurking in the shadows like a mugger?"

She heard a chuckle from behind the pillar and Valerius stepped out. Rather than wear his Captain Armor, he wore something similar to the Kul'Tiran Royal Guards but wore blue instead of green and his helmet is the same as his Captain's helmet. He was promoted as the Captain of the Royal Guards. Although, he was rather annoyed at that and was hoping the Grand Admiral would reassign him back into the front lines with his men again after sending a request form. He didn't like his position at all. Unfortunately, said request form was buried under one of the piles of paperwork the Archmage was working on.

"What? Can't see an old friend?"

"I would've thought we're past that."

Valerius chuckled as he walked towards the Half Elf "I thought Paladins were supposed to be chaste, my Lady."

"You're really asking me that now? Besides, the Prince is a Paladin. How many times have you accidentally overheard his and Lady Proudmoore's 'proclamations' of love?"

"Tch. One too many." Valerius crossed his arms as he sat on the edge of the large round table "I swear if I had the power, I would've made sure their room is soundproofed. Light above, do they not know that we patrol the castle halls?"

"I think they're deaf to the world when it gets good."

"Too right." Valerius nodded before hopping off the table and offering his arm "Shall I escort you back to the Order?"

"I'd rather not. If the recruits see me with you, Annette would never let me live it down."

"Ashamed of the drunkard, Jo?"

"Nope. I just don't like gossip."

"Fair enough." Valerius shrugged and opened the door before gesturing for her. Joan smirked before walking out of the room and the two left the castle together.

~Line Break~

Fort Lightbringer, Kühlschrank

From the balcony of the Keep overlooking the fort, Arthas watched the ongoings of the area. He could see the Footmen sparring, training, resting, etc. The settlers minded their own business while trying not to make eye contact with the Alliance soldiers though that can't be avoided seeing as there's always a group of Footmen or Knights patrolling the streets. While they did live peacefully among each other, there's still a level of distrust among the settlers and the soldiers. Both waiting for the moment for the other to make the first move. Sighing, the Prince moved away from the balcony and made his way to the bed. Resting next to it was Light's Vengeance and his new weapon, Light's Wrath. A Greatsword that he can actually wield skillfully with one hand. Together with Light's Vengeance, Arthas is a force to be reckoned with. The idea of wielding both weapons reminded him of Uther's stories about Turalyon when the Paladin held the late Anduin Lothar's broken Blade of Stormwind on one hand and his warhammer in the other. He was shaken away from his thoughts when someone knocked on the door.

"Enter."

The door opened to reveal a Footman holding a rolled up parchment.

"A message, milord. From the Capital. It has Lady Proudmoore's seal on it."

The Footman handed the parchment and Arthas gave his thanks before dismissing the soldier and closing the door. He opened up the letter and read it's contents. His mouth grimaced as he read the part about the Pirates.

"Now we have Pirates. Just great." Arthas muttered before shaking his head "As long as they don't cause too much trouble, I won't leave this campaign unfinished. But if they prove to be a problem... "

He didn't say anything else as he continued to read the letter. So the Siege Tower production was going just as scheduled. Good, he'll need those siege engines for the more fortified settlements and Gallix's own fortified city. Hmph. A barbarian city? He could only imagine what the hairy bastards were doing in there. Arthas smiled, however, when he read that Prim was doing alright but couldn't stop worrying about him and Alicia. He chuckled when he read the part about Valerius complaining about his new position and the request for reassignment back to the front lines.

"Aside from the Pirates, things seem to be going well. That's good."

Rolling the parchment back up, Arthas set it down on the bed before grabbing his weapons and walking out the door. He left the Keep and walked down the roads of the fort. Everyday, the place was starting to look more civilized than what it used to be. Once they finish this campaign, some of the refugees from the Black Dogs attacks can be moved here. There were still a lot of people in need of homes. He passed by a group of patrolling Footmen who greeted him and he nodded back. Arthas walked by some of the settlers who looked up at him in awe and slight fear. From what Arthas noticed, most of the settlers were short compared to their warriors who were as tall as him or even taller.

"Afternoon, milord."

Arthas nodded at the Footman guarding the Church before greeting a Knight tending to his mount at the stables. It always helped the soldiers' morale to see their leader walk and talk amongst them as a friend rather than just a commander. He chuckled when he saw a Dwarven Rifleman supporting a clearly inebriated Footman away from an inn. My how things have changed.

On his way to the front gates, Arthas passed by the Northmen Trader. The Northmen were adamant on not being confused with the Grells. After all, they too were brought by the beams to this world. They mostly kept to themselves and traded with the Alliance though it is said that they had made a home for themselves in the Northern parts of Kühlschrank. They refused to side with Gallix's Grells because of their attempts to subjugate the Northmen to their will but the answer they got was a massacre of the army sent to strong-arm the Northmen. Arthas didn't want to deal with them and seeing as how they both share disdain at Gallix's Grells, agreed to Trade and a Non-aggression Pact.

"My Lord."

Arthas turned to the speaker and saw Falric walking over to him. After the failed raid at the outpost, Falric led his men to where the barbarians retreated and found their small warband the morning after. The battle was short and Falric's forces caught them by surprise due to the fact that the Grells did not think the Alliance would be so bold as to attack them after their raid. When he heard the news, Arthas sent the Captain more men to secure the area surrounding the outpost to search and destroy anymore barbarians lurking about. After that, Falric returned to Fort Lightbringer.

"Falric, is there something the matter?"

"Indeed, my Lord. There's been some rumors of an uprising in the works but... "

"But... "

"We both know that some of our men would go through great lengths to drive out the Grells or outright kill them, my Lord. I'm not to keen on believing these settlers would start a revolt, especially with the additional income of troops from the Capital. I fear that one of our own men would spread rumors to cause paranoia and pit us against the settlers."

"Hmm. This is serious." Arthas replied as he frowned at the ground "We can't let something like that happen. Otherwise, we'll be too distracted culling a revolt than watching our backs from the other Grells. This might also affect our relationship with the other tribes negatively."

"Indeed, my Lord. What shall we do?"

"For now. Keep an eye on who's spreading the rumors. Get solid proof that they're the one spreading lies before you arrest him."

"Understood, my Lord. I'll get to it right now."

Arthas watched him go before staring at the area around him. If a revolt came to be, then all of this would be wasted. He cannot let that happen. And he'll be more than happy to silence the man who would be responsible.


	12. Might of Lordaeron Ch 12

The cold winter breeze pricked Arthas' skin as he stared at the soon-to-be battlefield from atop his mount, Unyielding. Beside him, a helmless Captain Falric sat on his own mount while holding a smoking pipe between his lips. Downhill, a force of one thousand four hundred and forty Footmen and Auxiliary Halberdiers stood in attention as they faced their foe. Behind the Prince was a line of Trebuchets and Ballistae while a row of Footmen Archers and Auxiliary Crossbowwomen held their bows as they waited for the battle to begin. Far to the left and hidden in the trees, Alicia and her three hundred and twenty Knights eagerly await for the signal to charge.

After the Alliance slow but successful campaign in Kühlschrank, Gallix the Ruthless called upon the remaining tribes of the west and assembled a large horde of barbarians numbering in the thousands led by his son, Braun, to overwhelm the Alliance. Thanks to their spies and scouts, Arthas managed to assemble a fighting force to match the barbarian horde and meet them in the field of battle before the horde can reach a songle settlement. If what his spies say is true, then this is the bulk of Gallix's army. The defeat of this horde would leave their other settlements nearly unprotected and ripe for the taking. Once all of the regions of Kühlschrank are subjugated, bar the North, Arthas can push for a final siege in the center of the province where Gallix and his tribe reside. The mountainous region of Dauðafjöll.

"Have the scouts returned yet?" Arthas asked while scratching his beard. A year has passed and he decided to keep the beard. He didn't like it at first but it 'grew' on him. Sadly, Alicia didn't like that joke and left the room without a word. Brünnhilde seemed to like it though.

"Not yet, my- wait. I think I see them."

The Captain pointed in the distance and sure enough, the scouts rode their mounts towards them. When the lead scout reached them, Arthas saw the worried look etched into his face.

"Milord, we bring troubling news."

"What is it?"

"The Grells have received support from the Black Dogs."

Arthas was silent as were the whole army.

'So they finally decided to get out of hiding, huh.'

"How many men did they give?"

"Not men, milord." The scout shook his head "Catapults. Crude looking trebuchets and Ogres. From what our spy told us, Volt sent his lieutenant, Hicks, to bring those siege engines and monsters as an offering to join forces and Braun accepted."

"Then we have to hit them harder. Falric." He turned to the Captain who had stashed away his smoking pipe and put on his helmet.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Send word to Alicia that the plan has changed. Rather than flank the barbarian horde, I want her to find and take out those catapults and tell her to do with haste. Those weapons need to be taken down before they could deal significant damage to the army."

"Understood, my Lord. Hyah!"

Arthas watched the Captain go before turning back to the lead scout "Form up with the rest of the Missile Infantry and prepare yourselves."

"Yes, milord."

"Now... we wait." The Prince muttered to himself as his eyes narrowed at the distance.

~Line Break~

Alicia cursed when she heard the news from Falric. The bastard Hicks was here and he came to offer the Grells an alliance. If she can find him, she would impale the silver tounged mercenary personally with a pike and leave him to bleed in a slow, agonizing death. It wouldn't hurt if the crows decided to have a little feast as well. Such thoughts were not fit for someone with the title of Princess Knight but she couldn't help herself. She loathed the Black Dogs. The mere thought of them made her blood boil. She heard the sound of the trebuchets loose their incendiaries and looked up to see the flaming boulders sail through the air. The sounds of the boulders' impact was quickly followed by the screams of the barbarians who were unlucky enough to get caught in the impact zone. This was soon followed by large spiked balls flying through the air and headed for the Alliance lines. Screams followed before a horn was blown. That signalled the front line Halberdiers to form a Phalanx.

'So it has begun.'

~Line Break~

Indeed it has. The Battle of Blüdreik Field has begun. The Grells roared as they charged the Halberdiers only to be impaled upon their weapons. Even so, the onslaught of barbarians didn't stop. With the bodies of the dead tribesmen occupying the Halberds, the Halberdiers were having a hard time keeping the rest of the horde back. A horn blew and signalled the Halberdiers to fall back and were replaced by Footmen who formed wall of shields. They have done their job. Taking down a number of barbarians in the Grells' initial charge. Now, it was the Footmen's turn to hold the line. The strong defense kept the savages at bay, long enough for the Missile Infantry to take aim and fire a volley flaming arrows at the barbarian horde. The Grells screamed as the arrows hit their mark but that wasn't enough to stop them. In fact, the scent of blood drove them into a frenzy. Their strikes became harder and faster. Arrows struck their bodies but they ignored it in favor of relentlessy attacking the Footmen. The Alliance soldiers, however, fought back.

While keeping them back, the Footmen would look for their opportunity to strike at the enemy with their swords while keeping the barbarians back with their shields. Once an opening presented itself, a Footman would thrust his sword into the barbarian's abdomen. Despite using leather armor now, the Grells did not wear anymore protection underneath and a Footman's Steel Forged Sword easily tore through that armor. Blood spill to the ground as bodies slowly piled one after the other. A spiked ball slammed into the front line of the Shieldwall and the Footmen immediately retrieved their dead or wounded before filling the spot they left behind quickly. Arthas saw this and nodded towards a Footman Archer who then proceeded to fire a flaming arrow into the sky. The Prince looked into the distance to see Alicia's Knights used the surrounding forest to cover their movement as they made their way to the enemy catapults. Then the battle went on as if it was routine. A Footman is wounded or dead, another takes his place. A barbarian manages to break through the line, immediately killed before they can raise their weapon. Arthas watched all this from top of Unyielding and felt that something was missing.

Suddenly, a roar tore through the battlefield and he turned to the source as six, heavily-armored ogres entered the fray. The barbarians parted for the giant beasts but the ogres had no regard for them and only wanted the Alliance soldiers. The beasts charged and broke through sections of the front line, allowing the barbarians to engage the Footmen on the broken formation. Arthas ordered the Halberdiers to engage the armored ogres while the Ballistae give them support. Footmen Archers and Auxiliary Crossbowwomen were ordered to maintain fire at the farthest barbarians. Should they run out of arrows, Footmen Archers were to pick up their swords and shields then reinforce the ranks while Auxiliary Bowwomen were to stay and defend the artilleries should the Grells try and flank the trebuchets and ballistae.

Seeing that the Grells were slowly pushing their forces back thanks to the ogres, Arthas raised Light's Vengeance and cast Devotion Aura that reached out to his troops, making them more durable than in a fight. The Prince would then cast down Holy Light on those he see were close to faltering. He then looked to the sky to see that the Grells still have their artillery. His gaze then went to the barbarians at the behind the main fighting force of the Grells and saw them wield crudely made bow and arrows before firing a volley of arrows towards them.

"Shields!"

The Footmen heard his order and raised their shields above their heads while still trying to fight off the barbarians. The Footmen Archers and Crossbowwomen stepped back to avoid the rain of arrows. Arthas, satisfied that they're out of harm's way, cast Divine Shield on himself. A golden shield surrounded the blonde Prince and the arrows reflected off the shield. He looked over his shoulder and ordered the artilleries to concentrate fire at the enemy Missile Infantry.

~Line Break~

"Lady Alicia, there they are."

Alicia looked to where Eve was pointing at and indeed saw the row of eight trebuchets. All of them were manned by Black Dogs but unfortunately, Hicks was nowhere in sight.

'Bastard must've left these grunts to do the dirty work and hightailed it. Coward.'

"My Lady."

The Princess Knight was interrupted from her fuming thoughts before composing herself.

"Alright, Knights. Follow my lead. Charge!"

She spurred her horse and galloped towards the trebuchet crew. The other Knights following behind.

"For the Alliance!"

The Black Dogs turned to her and saw the hundreds of Knights charging towards them. Alicia let out a battle cry before throwing the spear in her hand towards the closest mercenary before unsheathing her sword while holding her jousting lance in her other hand. The spear sailed through air and buried itself in a Black Dog's heart. The tip of her lance managed to impale another and she pushed the mercenary to the ground, dragging his screaming body along as she rode her mount. Alicia raised her sword and brought it down on a Black Dog's head. The Princess Knight halted her mount before pulling her lance free from the impaled mercenary's corpse. She looked around and saw that the catapult crew were already running away. A few brave ones tried to fight only to be trampled or cut down by her Knights. Eve halted her mount in front of the blonde.

"We've routed the Black Dogs, my Lady. The other Knights scoured the area and these mercenaries are the only ones here. It seems Hicks' only offered them artillery support and leather armor. The Black Dogs are desperate but not desperate it seems."

"Or maybe they're greedy." Alicia suggested "Why waste weapons and armor that they could've used for themselves? The only true offer they gave were the armored ogres."

"But what about the catapults?"

"Have you seen the catapults?"

Alicia made an exaggerated gesture at said artilleries.

"They look like they can barely stand as it is." Alicia dropped from her mount and kicked the side of the trebuchet. The result was immediate and the structure fell into pieces. The blonde looked at the purple haired Knight and gestured at the broken down catapult "See?"

Eve blinked before jabbing her lance at the next trebuchet and received the same result.

"Wow. That was... "

"Shit."

"For a lack of a better word."

Alicia snickered before climbing up her mount and raised her sword.

"Knights, rally to me! Rally to me!"

The Knights stopped chasing after the fleeing Black Dogs and regrouped with their commander. Alicia faced the ongoing battle and hefted her lance. Eve did the same beside her before the blonde Princess Knight ordered the others to form a Wedge. Alicia narrowed her eyes as she observed the backs of the Grellian lines. She could see the large forms of the ogres wreaking havoc among the Alliance ranks. A ballistae arrow struck it in the neck and the beast fell on top of the Grellian lines. Alicia counted four more ogres rampaging.

"My Lady, I have doubts about this. There's too many of them to flank."

"Well, Eve. When in doubt."

Alicia spurred her horse and raised her sword towards the Grells.

"ATTACK!"

The Knights need not to be told twice before charging after the Princess Knight. The cavalry closed the distance between them and the horde, running down a row of Grellian Archers who were unfortunate enough to get in their way. Alicia roared as her mount jumped over the heads of some of the Grells before landing on the backs of a group of barbarians, crushing them in the process. The blonde impaled a barbarian with her lance but other barbarians ripped it from her grasp. Her mount reared into it's hind legs before stomping down on an unfortunate sod, crushing his head and staining the ground with blood, bone fragments and brain matter. Alicia unsheathed a second blade and began cutting down Grells or kicking them away. From the corner of her eye, she saw the rest of her Knights arrive and trample the barbarians. Eve rode her mount beside her before handing her a banner of the Alliance. Alicia smiled as she raised the banner high in the air. A group of Knights surrounded her and kept the barbarians back.

"FOR THE ALLIANCE!"

~Line Break~

Arthas pulled Light's Wrath free from the ogre's chest and watched as it let out the last of it's death throes. The Prince ducked down just in time to avoid a swing from another ogre before throwing Light's Vengeance into it's face. The force of the blow threw the beast to it's back and also threw off it's helmet. Arthas jumped down the dead ogre before walking over to the other ogre. He retrieved his warhammer and stood over the downed ogre. Gripping Light's Vengeance with both hands, Arthas raised the warhammer high above his head before slamming it down hard on the ogre's face, bathing the Prince in a bloody shower of gore.

"FOR THE ALLIANCE!"

Arthas looked away from his recent kill and looked to the back of the barbarian lines to see Alicia, encircled by a group of Knights, raise the banner of the Alliance. The Prince saw that this managed to gain the attention of the Grells. An opportunity showed itself and Arthas reformed the Footmen line.

"Push forward, men! Not one step back. For the Alliance!"

"FOR THE ALLIANCE!"

The Footmen slowly pushed forward, gaining the ground they lost when the ogres pushed them back. Arthas looked over his shoulder to the Missile Infantry.

"Give them everything you got!"

"Yes, milord!"

Arthas watched as arrows fly above their heads and rain down on the Grellian horde. The Alliance pushed the barbarians back and moved to encircle them. Among those in the front line was Falric. The Captain slammed his helmed head on a Grellian berserker, forcing the barbarian to it's back before kicking him in the head. Falric didn't give him the chance to recover and buried his blade in the barbarian's chest. He looked back up and saw the state of the battle. With the shield wall reformed, they were slowly encircling the barbarians and victory will be theirs soon. The last ogre roared as it turned it's attention on the Knights. It grabbed one of them and ate the mount while the rider fell to the clutches of the barbarian horde. Her screams were drowned out by the outraged cries of the other Knights as they used their lances and thrust them in the armored ogre's exposed areas. The beast roared in pain before swinging it's massive club and smashing into groups of Knights and Grells, throwing them off their feet. The Alliance broke formation as the Footman let out a battle cry and attacked the closest barbarian.

Falric bashed a barbarian with the edge of his shield in the knee, forcing the Grell to kneel in pain. This was followed up with the Captain running his sword through the barbarian's mouth. Falric kicked the body off to free his weapon and jumped into the air before bringing down his sword as he descended. His blade met flesh as the weapon was buried halfway down the Grellian's neck. The Captain heaved his weapon free from the barbarian and thrust the sword to his left, piercing the hand that held the charging Grellian's weapon. The barbarian screamed and Falric twisted the blade, dragging the arm and breaking it. He twisted the blade once more before stabbing it in the barbarian's heart.

"Look out!"

Falric turned around just as Arthas slammed his shoulder right into a Grell that was about to attack the Captain. The Prince looked at the barbarian he shoulder bashed and slammed Light's Vengeance on the Grellian's chest, crushing the entirety of the barbarian's chest. Arthas then ducked to avoid a swing for his head and ran his attacker through the gut with Light's Wrath. The barbarian coughed up blood before being torn in half as the Prince heaved his Greatsword upwards and faced the surrounding Grellians. When the Grells faced Arthas, a myriad of emotions gripped their hearts and minds. Fear. The Prince was bathed head to toe with the blood of their tribesmen he had personally slain and eyes that promised only death. Anger. Arthas slaughtered their kin and dared to go against their king. Respect. From one warrior to another. All of these feelings ran through their minds and Anger was the sole force that kept them fighting. Fear for their lives made them flee the field of battle. Respect had them accept a worthy death from a worthy foe.

"Face me!"

The first ones to do so where the ones who were blinded by anger, followed by those who were brave and ready to face the Prince. Their thoughts solely centered around a worthy death. Better to die in the hands of a noble warrior than in the hands of an animal like Gallix and his ilk. Those who feared the Prince fled but those consumed by anger slaughtered them. There are no room for cowards in Gallix's army. However, some lay down their weapons and surrendered to the Alliance but even so, the battle rages on.

Alicia, who was thrown off her mount, faced the rampaging ogre and charged at it. She used both her blades to cut the beast's exposed calves and saw it roar in pain. It reached down and grabbed her before bringing her closer to it's face. Alicia struggled against it's mighty grip before glaring the beast right in the eye. She showed no fear and only yelled obscenities at the ogre. It roared at her and she replied by throwing the sword in her left hand at th beast's eye. The weapon met it's intended mark and the beast roared in pain as it tried to pull the blade out of it's eye. Alicia, however, held on to the beast's hand before making her way to it's head. Below her, the Knights saw their commander climb up the beast's head and rode their mounts to her aid. They used their lances to impale the beast in it's exposed calves and forc e it to it's knees. From behind the ogre, Eve hefted a spear and threw it towards the ogre's exposed back.

The spear hit it's mark and the ogre started swaying but it refused to fall. More Knights charged it from behind and jabbed their lances at it's calves. This time, the beast fell on all fours. Alicia held on for dear life until the ogre fell. She steadied herself and held her remaining sword with both hands in a reverse grip before raising it up in the air.

"In Arcturus' name, I stab at thee!"

Alicia roared as she plunged the blade all the way to the hilt in the ogre's nape. As she did so, the clouds parted and the sun's rays shined down upon her as a gigantic Sword of Light fell from the heavens and struck the very ground the beast stood, leaving glowing cracks as the ogre fell dead and the Sword of Light vanished. The blonde let out exhausted breaths as she fell to her knees while still holding onto her sword. Despite all that, the battle continued on around her. The loss of the final armored ogre caused a majority of the Grells to flee but the Knights were all to eager to chase after them. The field was flooded with the blood from both sides but most came from the barbarians. Arthas himself was drenched head to toe with it as he stood atop a pile of bodies. A few meters away from him, Falric was busy beating a barbarian to death with his helmet. Eve reared her mount back and it stood on it's hind legs before crushing a downed barbarian's head like a melon. A barbarian with a missing arm tried to crawl away but a Footman pulled him back by the hair and slit his throat before dropping him none too gently and moved on to the next Grellian.

The battle was coming to an end but Arthas was not one to leave things unfinished. He looked to the Missile Infantry and saw that they still had enough arrows with them before ordering the Archers and Crossbowwomen to fire upon the fleeing Grells. They were happy to comply and aimed at the barbarians' retreating backs. Arthad watched the arrows sail through the air before looking up at the sky and let the rain drops fall into his face. He didn't when did it began to pour but he welcomed it.

"YOU!"

The Prince turned to the source of the voice and saw a shirtless and bloody Grell pointing an axe at him. He had long, messy blonde hair that, from what Arthas guessed, used to be tied up. Blue eyes that burned with unadulterated rage. From underneath the blood, the Prince could see a myriad of tattoos.

"Mark my words, Lordaeronian. The Grells will have our revenge. You think you have won but father will prove you wrong. He will feast on your flesh as he bathes in your blood!" Braun beat his chest twice and roared before running towards the Prince with his weapon held up high.

Arthas glared at the charging barbarian before spinning in his heel and avoiding the charge. With Light's Vengeance in hand, the Prince struck Braun in the back and threw the barbarian a couple of feet away. The Grellian rolled to a stop and shakily stood up. He turned around to face Arthas only for the Prince to drive his Greatsword into Braun's abdomen. Arthas pushed the blade further in before lifting the impaled body if Braun high in the air. The barbarian screamed at the top of his lungs before Arthas threw him down, sliding him off the blade and landing painfully on his back. The Prince stepped on Braun's forearm as the barbarian tried to reach for his fallen weapon. He loomed over the fallen barbarian and looked down on him with a blank stare.

"You send a message to Gallix. Tell him... his kingdom has fallen... Kühlschrank is mine."

Braun stared defiantly at Arthas and spat blood on the Prince's boot.

"I won't tell him shit."

"I don't need you alive to accomplish that."

Braun's eyes widened as Arthas kicked the barbarian to his stomach and grabbed him by the hair. He pulled Braun to his knees and the barbarian screamed in agony from his bleeding wounds. His screams were cutoff as the Prince swung his Greatsword and severed the barbarian's head from his body. Arthas watched the head roll to the bloody field and stared at the frozen expression in it's face. Braun's eyes were wide and blank but his mouth was agape. He knelt down and grabbed the head by the hair and looked to his left to see that there were prisoners being shackled. Falric walked over to him and the Prince threw the severed head at the Captain who caught it without so much as a reaction.

"Put this in a sack. Have one of the prisoners run this to Gallix as a message. Place a note with the head."

"What would you have it say, my Lord?"

"...He's next."

~Line Break~

With the Battle of Blüdreik Field concluded, the Alliance picked up their dead, piled and burned the Grells' corpses, and planted an Alliance banner with a sword and shield resting on it from atop of a hill to show the world who won this fight. Despite the victory, no one celebrated. A welcome silence fell over the army as they made their way back to Fort Lightbringer. Arthas rode Unyielding at the front of the marching formation with Falric and Alicia on either side of him with their own mounts. Behind them were Alicia's Knights, followed by half of the Footmen then the Halberdiers then the prisoners. Behind the prisoners were the Footmen Archers and Crossbowwomen then followed by the Artilleries and more Footmen. The only sound in their return trip were the ones made by the cold wind and the marching of their feet through the snow layered path. Sure there were some idle chatter here and there but mostly it was kept to themselves. The prisoners were quiet and stripped of everything other than the fur clothes on their backs.

"We'll stop by Wolf's Den while the rest of the army and prisoners will keep moving to Fort Lightbringer." Arthas said to the two beside him "You're Knights will accompany us, Alicia."

"Of course./Yes, my Lord." The two replied before falling back into silence.

Soon they reached a fork in the road and Arthas took the one on the left while the army continued on the right. From the looks of things, they might reach the settlement before a blizzard hits.

"Alicia." The Prince called out "What was that, back in Blüdreik Field? The power you used to slay the ogre?"

"I... I don't know. All I know is that it took a lot out of me. I didn't even know I could do that." Alicia looked down at the reigns of her mount as she remembered what happened "What was that power?"

~Line Break~

Wolf's Den, Kühlschrank

Their arrival was a quiet one. Only the soldiers guarding the gate greeted them before Arthas and Alicia had the stable boys take care of their horses and made their way to the Great Hall. The Knights stabled their mounts as well before heading towards the Inn or Barracks. Falric himself went to the Barracks to rest his body while Eve went to the Inn for a drink.

The two blondes reached the Great Hall were they were greeted by two guards. They opened the doors and the duo entered. Inside, a table was in the center of the building where soldiers and settlers feasted. The hall was crowded to the point that even the extra tables and chairs were occupied and some were forced to stand. Fortunately, they didn't seem to mind. On the head of the table was Brünnhilde. The Chieftain lazily ate the turkey leg while nodding her head along as a drunken settler unloaded his entire life story to her. The woman's eyes spotted the two blondes and was relieved for the distraction.

"I'm sorry, Olaf. But this will have to wait. We have guests."

"But what about- "

He was cutoff when Brünnhilde stuffed his mouth with the turkey leg she was eating before the Chieftain walked over to greet the two blondes.

"So how did the battle go?"

"We lost good men and women but nothing too costly." Arthas replied as he set his weapons down and leaned on a pillar "Gallix's Grells were massive in number. It didn't help that the Black Dogs gave them catapults and beasts to help them fight."

Brünnhilde's eyes narrowed at that.

"That is strange. Gallix was never one to accept help." She muttered under her breath but the two heard it all the same "He usually kills them and take what was offered and more. He must've been desperate."

"Even his sons?" The Prince questioned.

"Especially them. They are the same as him."

She didn't bother to mask the astonishment in her voice. This got the other two's attention. Arthas smirked and accepted the mug of mead from the serving girl that offered it to them. Alicia nodded her thanks before letting out a small smile. Things were looking up for the Alliance. Kühlschrank would be theirs soon.

"Ugh, why haven't I noticed that before?"

The two blondes looked at the Grellian and simultaneously raised their left brow. Brünnhilde snorted and pointed at the Primce.

"You're covered head to toe in dried blood."

Arthas blinked and looked down on himself.

"Oh."

"Aye. Oh. Get yourself cleaned up. There's a bath in one of the rooms. I'll have Helga lead you there."

"That won't be necessary." Arthas shook his head "I know where it is. Ladies."

The Prince bowed his head before walking away, leaving the other two to watch him leave. Brünnhilde then turned to the much smaller blonde.

"What the Hel happened to him?"

"I don't know." Alicia shrugged "I was too busy killing an ogre to watch. All I know is that he was standing on a pile of bodies as barb- I mean, Gallix's Grells surrounded him. My Knights were chasing after those who were fleeing. Falric was busy killing someone with his helmet. The battle was just full of blood, guts and body parts. It's like everyone's sweating blood rather than, uh, sweat."

"Hmm. You might've fought Gallix's Grells in Blüdreik Field."

"What does that mean?"

"Lass, Blüdreik Field has a history in Kühlschrank. Many of the country's famous battles was taken place in that field. Legend has it that the field is always soaked by the blood spilled from previous battles. Never drying out. It's always as wet as the day the blood was spilled. They say the Blood God watches over the field whenever a battle takes place. When he is there, the clouds rain blood. Everything wet is turned to blood. Your sweat. Spit. Even your tears will turn red as blood. Only when the battle is almost at an end will everything turn back to normal. When a victor is chosen. A lot useless legend but it is the truth. Though, no one knows why the Blood God does this."

"Huh... weird."

~Line Break~

The Capital, Feoh

Jaina read the reports from the South about the increasing Pirate activity. More towns were raided but the Alliance and Seven Shields always managed to push them back but even so they get bolder and bolder to the point that they had engaged the Alliance and Seven Shields head on. They would fire cannons from their ships to destroy the defenses and allow the Pirates to move in engage the defending force. It soon got to the point that two ships wpuld raid one town or port. Despite the Seven Shields patrolling the seas, the Pirates always managed to slip past them or destroy the patrol itself. Jaina sighed and rubbed her temple.

"We need those ships soon if we want to put an end to this threat. I need to reform the Kul'Tiran Marines but leave the Castle and Royal Guards here. That would take away a quarter from the company of Marines that came here months ago. We need to start recruiting and training new Marines now."

Jaina took a paper and began writing down the official order to recall the company of Kul'Tiran Marines and the recruitment of new Marines. Suddenly, her door flew open and Prim rushed inside. Jaina's eyes widened at the state of the pinkette. Her eyes were wide with fear and her dress had holes and cuts in them. Her face had dirt and grime as well. Jaina quickly rushed over to Prim and was quickly enveloped in a hug.

"Prim, what's wrong? What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

The pinkette looked at the Archmage with tears running down her face.

"Ur is lost."

"What?"

~Line Break~

City of Ur, Lordaeron

It was a peaceful night. The moon was full and illuminating the city with it's glow. Shops and other establishment were still open and the city's inhabitants were enjoying the night life. Unbeknownst to them, this might be the very last time they enjoy it.

A city guard whistled a tune as he passed by an alleyway. He heard a crash and stopped in his tracks. The guard cautiously made his way to the source of the noise. He held up his lamp and checked his surroundings. Nothing was amiss. But then he heard something bang into the manhole's lid. Unsheathing his sword, the guard moved to investigate. He set down the lamp beside the manhole and lifted up the lid. He narrowed his eyes to see through the darkness better and found himself staring at a set of red orbs.

"What the- "

He was cutoff as a crude looking spear ran through his mouth and out the back of his head. His body was pulled through the manhole and sounds of flesh being ripped apart echoed inside. Soon, silence fell. No one bothered to know why a lamp was lying on a ground next to a sword and manhole. Actually. In the next few seconds, people will be too busy running or fighting for their lives.

In the middle of a crowded street, a manhole burst open and out came a swarm of giant rats of varying sizes from a Dwarf to an Orc. They stood on hind legs and carried rusty swords, killing any human they could see. Some of them carried weapons that spewed out green flames or throw flasks filled with poison gas. Soon, all throughout the city, swarms of Ratmen flooded areas of the city in minutes. They even managed to get inside the castle where Prim was residing. The pinkette was attacked but nothing too serious. She was escorted out of the castle and into a carriage. They rode away from Castle Ur and passed by screaming citizens and soldiers as they were swarmed by the hundreds and hundreds off Ratmen. Once they've reached the city gates, the soldiers locked it and kept the Ratmen from getting out. The top of the city's walls were lined with Archers and Footmen who were doing all they can to keep the Rat menace from climbing over the walls.

~Line Break~

Jaina sighed as she let the pinkette cry on her shoulder. As if the Pirates weren't enough, now they have these Ratmen to worry about. She'll have to reroute the troops sent to reinforce Shore Defense to reinforce Ur instead. If what Prim said, is true, then they'll need a big army to take the city back. They were stretched thin and Arthas still wasn't finished with his campaign yet. All Jaina could think off was to quarantine the city. Keep the Ratmen from escaping Ur until Arthas returns with an army but who knows how long will that take.

"Light, why can't things just be easy for once?"


	13. Might of Lordaeron Ch 13

"Do we have any idea where these rats came from?"

Maia, Justinia, Valerius and Sergeant Andrew looked down on the rat-infested city. What once was beautiful, is now rotten and decayed. Where humans, elves and even halflings lived here, grotesque ratmen take their place and the stench of death fill the very air they breathe in. Thanks to the efforts of both the Alliance and Seven Shields, the City of Ur was successfully quarantined thus preventing the ratmen from spreading outside the walls. But how long can they hold it, is the question.

"No one knows." Valerius replied with a shrug before his face turned grim "Lady Prim managed to escape with a few bruises. Can't say the same from the rest of the city. Barely a hundred got out. I can't imagine how many were left behind and locked in."

"Poor sods."

Andrew's grim comment made the redhead grit her teeth in anger. More than a thousand people used to live here and barely a hundred made it out. If the Ratmen hadn't gotten to them from the initial attack, then they certainly did after the gates were sealed off before they could escape. How many were damned when the gates were shut to prevent the rats from escaping? Her eyes roamed the streets and spotted groups of Ratmen doing who knows what. Maia made a disgusted noise when she saw one of the ratmen kill and eat another.

"Buncha filthy vermin." The redhead muttered before moving to leave the wall. They would strike the city tomorrow. The sun is setting and it would be more dangerous to strike at night when the rats have an easier time to blend in the shadows. If their maniacal laughter didn't give them away that is.

Valerius watched her go before looking at the city once again. When Lady Jaina said that she's reassigning him back in the front lines, he didn't expect to be thrown in the lot that was supposed to deal with the infestation. Oh, well. As long as he was fighting and not standing around for the rest of his days then he's fine with dealing with the giant rats. His eyes spotted one burning a building with a weapon that spewed hellish, green flames. He saw another one that was taller and more muscular than an orc but at least not bigger than Black Dogs Ogres. His gaze found another one pulling an unfortunate survivor by the throat with a cruel looking thing before using it to hang the poor sod.

'So we're supposed to fight those? Heh. Still beats being Captain of the Guard.'

Valerius moved away from the embrasure and made his way down the wall, securing the Hand Cannon on his belt. If he's gonna kill those Rat Ogres, he's gonna need more ammo... and a bigger shield... and a stronger blade... and a harder helmet. Actually, this may be a good time to use those weapons that bounty hunter gave him.

~Line Break~

Maia looked down at the map of the city. The only way the rats could've come from were the sewers. The city's sewer sytem was big. Big enough to hide an army. Just like in Geofu. Even if they can take out the rats on the surface, who knows how many more are down there. The redhead looked to the side to see Justinia arming herself with a Zweihänder before tying her hair in a ponytail and put on helmet with a red plume. The silverette was covered in heavy plate armor with a red cape and short toga, contrasting Maia's own wardrobe set which consisted of her red leotard, blue chaps, brown boots and her sword belt which held two pairs of daggers and the sword made by the Dwarven Duo, Bohg and Shorty.

Justinia walked over to her and stood opposite of the redhead before looking down at the map which had detailed figurines of the Ratmen placed on the different districts and landmarks of the city. She even saw a detailed figurine of the redhead and a Footman set up on the wall. Where did they even find those things?

"How many do you think there are, my Lady?"

Maia crossed her arms and tsk'ed.

"From what Prim said, there are so many of them that you couldn't even tell. Personally, I think we need more soldiers for this just to be safe. Anyway, the scouting party hasn't returned yet, right?"

Justinia answered with a shake of her head to which Maia sighed. Those soldiers were supposed to be back by now. It didn't help that it was night. Who knows what unspeakable horror they encountered inside. She turned back at Justinia only to see the silverette Knight was fiddling with HER figurine.

"Hey, drop little me this instant!"

~Line Break~

Residential District, City of Ur

"Hop over the barricade. Go!"

"K-Kill the human s-scum!"

"Fall back! Fall back!"

A party of five Footmen vaulted over the makeshift barricade in the middle of the street. One of them threw a torch at the barricade and ignited a trail of gunpowder that led to three barrels of gunpowder sitting inside the barricade. Their pursuers, the only Skaven, climbed over the barricade and didn't see the flame igniting the gunpowder until it was too late. A huge explosion took out the horde of Clanrats and Skavenslaves, destroying the barricade and parts of the buildings close to it. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the tide of vermin from pursuing their prey.

"Sir, they're not stopping!"

"Just shut up and run, soldier!"

"Where's the other scouting party?"

"Hopefully, outside the city by now."

"Wait. I think I see them."

Sergeant Andrew looked to where the Footman was pointing at and saw the Seven Shields scouting party waiting by the front gates. Three of them were aiming bows at them while the fourth was slamming her fist on the large gates. He looked to the top of the wall and saw the wall's Archers and Crossbowmen aiming down at them as well. They weren't really aiming at his party but rather the hundreds of Skaven running after them. The sound of the doors opening took his attention back the doors and saw it open and a company of Footmen marched in. They formed a shield wall and left a gap at the center as Captain Valerius walked in and beckoned the scouts to retreat through the gate.

"Andrew. Move your fat arse through this door, Sergeant!"

"Sir!" Andrew looked over his shoulder and quickened his pace. He didn't need to be told twice.

The scouting party made it out the doors as more Footmen flooded in. He looked towards the entrance to see flashes of light followed by the sound of thunder and smoke.

~Line Break~

"Fire!"

The first row of Footmen placed their Hand Cannons above their shields and aimed their at the incoming horde before, as one, pulling the trigger. The thundering boom of the Hand Cannons was quickly followed by the sounds of bodies hitting to the floor. The Ratmen tripped over the fallen bodies and the first row rotated to the back of the formation as the second row took the front of the formation and aimed their Hand Cannons before firing. This continued on until the first row returned to the forefront of the formation. Valerius, however, didn't hold a shield but carried two special Hand Cannons, Fortune's Favor. It was different from the Footmen's Hand Cannon because it had a certain magic to it that it didn't need to be reloaded after one shot but it still takes a few seconds before he could fire another and packs more of a punch than your ordinary Hand Cannon. Why would a bounty hunter give this up, he'll never know but he'll thank the buxom redhead on the next game night. If he's still alive that is. When the Footmen was on their last shot, they switched to their swords and readied themselves for the Ratmen's charge. Valerius, who was at the front and center of the formation, aimed his Fortune's Favor at the horde and closed his eyes. He let out a small breath before opening his eyes and firing.

The Skavenslave dropped dead as a huge part of it's shoulder was blown off and splattered all over the ground while the one next to it fell to it's knees as a part of it's head was blown off. It's kin trampled over their bodies as they charged at the Alliance to which the Footmen returned in kind. The two forces met in a bloody melee. Footmen would use their shields to block the Ratmen's attacks and followed it with a swing of their own. However, some were unfortunate enough to be separated from the main force and were easily swarmed by the rats. Their screams were drowned out by the thundering booms of Valerius' Hand Cannons. The Captain dodged a Skaven that lunged at him and fired a shot at it's head, blowing it to chunks before dodging a second Skaven and used the axe head attached under the Hand Cannon to cut into it's neck. He kicked the body off and saw it was still alive and blew it's brains out.

A roar broke through the battle and Valerius spun on his heel to see a Rat Ogre punch a Footman and sent him flying towards a building's window. The body slammed through the glass and landed inside the building before being swarmed by Ratmen who quickly tore him apart despite his armor. Valerius readied himself as the Rat Ogre ran towards him. He fired shot after shot at the huge rat but it didn't stop it's charge. It raised it's arms high in the air and slammed it down on the Captain who rolled to the side and avoided the hit. It turned it's head towards him but roared in pain before looking to it's side and saw the large sword in sticking in it's abdomen. It turned to glare at the armored figure holding the sword and backhanded the Knight.

Justinia screamed before her body hit the ground with a roll. She shook the dizziness away as she struggled to her feet before grabbing her Zweihänder and swung widely, taking out three unarmoured Skaven in front of her. Unfortunately, she didn't see the hooded Skaven as it lunged at her and pinned her down on the ground before attacking her with the glowing, green blades attached to it's arms. The blade was enough to tear her armor and Justinia's eyes widened in shock and fear. She punched the rat's face with all her might but it kept going, tearing her armor apart. A loud boom echoed and the rat fell dead on top of her, a chunk of it's head missing. She pushed the corpse away and took off her mangled armor. A hand was held out in front of her and she looked up to see the owner of the appendage was Captain Valerius. She took the offered hand and Valerius helped her to her feet.

"That was too close, Justinia." The Captain said before handing her back the Zweihänder and saw the state of the Knight "So much for armor, eh? Try and keep an eye out for those things."

"Captain, what happened to the Rat Ogre?"

He pointed his thumb over his shoulder and the Knight looked to see the giant rat slamming it's fists on the ground and trying to shake Maia, who was on the rat's back, off. Two daggers and a shortsword were sticking out off it's back. The redhead held a dagger on her left hand which was buried all the way to the hilt on the Rat Ogre's neck while her right held another dagger which she used to repeatedly stab the Rat Ogre. Gripping her weapon tight, Justinia ran at the Rat Ogre just as it turned towards her direction and the Knight swung her blade down. It cut the Rat Ogre's face but the action simply enraged the giant rat. It roared and punched Justinia three times but the Knight managed to block them all though she felt her arms strain from the flurry of blows. On the side, Valerius fired shot after shot at the Rat Ogre while a trio of Footmen guarded him from the Skaven.

"Why won't this big fucker die!?"

"Lady Maia, hold on!"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?"

Valerius would've chuckled to himself had he not rolled out of the way of the green flames that burned the ground he stood. Unfortunately, his guards were caught and screamed as they were burnt alive and cooked inside their armor. The Warpfire Thrower laughed like a madman as it faced Valerius and had it's weapon spew hellish green flames at him. The flames were bright and he couldn't see past it so he took the chance and fired a bit lower than where he estimated the weapon was. A scream if pain later and the flames stopped, revealing the rat on it's knees and holding on to the bleeding stump where it's left foot used to be. Valerius then aimed at the object on it's back and fired, resulting in a green explosion.

Unbeknownst to them, a Gun Rat climbed up the roof of a building and fired it's Ratling Gun at the battle below. It didn't care that it hit other Skaven or the Footmen. As long as it get to fire it's weapon and kill something, it didn't give a rat's ass. The Warpstone bullets struck anything on it's path, killing them as it tore through both Skaven and Alliance. Valerius rolled behind a crate to avoid getting killed by the Gun Rat and Justinia joined him. They looked over their cover to see Maia still stabbing the Rat Ogre. If she wasn't holding onto the rat for dear life while stabbing it, she would be tearing her hair out in frustration.

"Stupid. Fuck. Won't. Die!"

Valerius then turned his eyes towards the Gun Rat and saw that it had it's attention on the bulk of the fighting where both Alliance and Skaven were locked in melee. Seeing his opportunity, he aimed his Hand Cannon and fired at the rat. His aim was true as it struck the rat's head blew into chunks and it's body fell off the roof. He didn't have time to celebrate as a red blur smashed into the crates they were using for cover and saw Maia in a daze. The redhead was seeing stars for a second before her vision focused. Valerius and Justinia grabbed her arms and helped her up before the trio looked at the battle. Despite how many times it was stabbed, cut and shot, the Rat Ogre was still standing. It roared and leaped towards a group of Footmen. It landed on them and sent the group flying. Looking around them, they knew the battle was lost and this was just the front gate. They hadn't even reached the Residential District and already they suffered too much losses.

"Fuck." Maia cursed as she looked at the situation they were in "There's no way we can take this city back. There's just too many of them."

"What should we do?"

Valerius didn't listen to them as he kept staring at the loosing battle in front of him. Corpses lay on the ground as the rats swarmed the brave few who would fight to the last.They were damned from the start. These Skaven were just too many to fight. It's as if they magically pop up from some dark corner by the dozen. His eyes found themselves staring after the swarm of rats that were making a break for the doors. Intent on escaping to the world.

"Like Hell." He looked up at the wall and yelled "Seal the doors! They cannot get through that gate! Soldiers, fall back while you still can! Retreat!"

And retreat they did. They abandoned fighting their opponents and made a run for the doors. The Missile Infantry on the walls began firing at the horde chasing after them, covering the troops escape. Despite the retreat, Valerius didn't move. The other noticed this as well.

"Why aren't we leaving?"

"We won't make it but at least whatever's left of our soldiers will." He turned to Maia. His expression grim under his helmet "But we can still get away while they're distracted. We'll find another way out of here. Come on!"

Valerius ran towards an alley while the two women watched him go. They turned to the doors just as it shut as the last Footman escaped. The Skaven slammed into the door and the Rat Ogre slammed it's massive fist on it. From atop the wall, the Missile Infantry dropped the burning oil on the Ratmen, filling the night with the stench of burned corpses and screeches of pain. The Rat Ogre roared before falling face first into the ground, dead. Maia and Justinia shared a look before running after the Captain. There's no turning back now. They'll have to survive the night while looking for a way out or end up as food for the rats.

~Line Break~

Wolf's Den, Kühlschrank

"So my 7/7 Minion attacks your 2/3 minion. Since you have a 3 Attack Damage, my minion loses three Hit Points, leaving my minion with to a 4/7, while your minion is destroyed because mine has a 7 Attack Damage and your minion has 2 Hit Points. Now, I use my Hero Power to Damage your Hero. My Hero Power is Fireblast. Fireblast's ability is to deal 1 damage. I can use it against your Hero or your minions at the cost of 2 Mana Crystals. Now, I end my turn even though I still have 1 Mana Crystal left but I have nothing to play it with."

"I didn't understand a word you just said, stúlka. Why the hell am I even bothering with this game?"

Brünnhilde looked down at her cards then at the blonde, wondering how this was the one to conquer Wolf's Den.

"Hmph." Alicia crossed her arms and pouted "Because Hearthstone is not just a game. It's part of the Alliance's culture."

Arthas just so happened to pass by and saw the cards on the table.

"I can't believe you're still playing that. You need a new hobby, Alicia. No. You need help. You're obsession with this game is getting real old now. Oh, and it's not part of the Alliance's culture by the way, Chieftain. Alicia here was introduced to this game in an inn run by a Dwarven Innkeeper named Harth Stonebrew. Huh." The Prince brought a hand to his chin and looked up in thought "Harth Stonebrew... Harthstone... Hearthstone... Ooooh."

"I'M NOT OBSESSED!" Alicia blinked before crossing her arms and looking away. Some pink dusting her cheeks "I just happen to be a fan and avid player of the game. And what are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be doing something else other than bothering me?"

"Actually, I was not bothering you, Alicia. I just happen to pass by." The Prince replied with a shrug before looking at the younger blonde with narrowed eyes.

'Since when did she start disrespecting their elders? Wait a second. Why am I thinking that? I'm only a few years older than her! ...right?'

"Hmph. Whatever."

"Hmm." Arthas rubbed his beard before snapping his finger "Aahhh. I know what's wrong. You're going through that rebellious phase adolescents usually go to. Hehe. Oh, I remember the times I used to sneak out to meet Jaina and she would do the same."

"What the hell are you going on about?"

The two bickered like children while Brünnhilde looked between them before setting down her cards on the table and leaving. She had better things to do than watch this. Like, getting firewood for tonight's blizzard, for example. Now, where did she put her axe?

"I'm not short. You're just freakishly tall and broad!"

Now she remembered. It was leaning on the big chair in the head of the table. Taking the weapon, she rested on her shoulder before heading out of the Great Hall. Well, time to get to cutting. Hopefully, the noise would drown those two out.

'Seriously. How did these people conquer nearly all of Kühlschrank, I'll never know.'

~Line Break~

Hammerforge, The Capital

"How's the Steam Tanks goin' along, lads?"

"We're about twenty in, sir."

"Hahaha! That's what I like to hear."

Bohg smiled with pride as he looked over the Steam Tank production. Thanks to the income of Dwarves from the mountains, the Alliance now have more Dwarves among them. More Dwarves, means faster production and more Engineers, Tank Drivers, Riflemen, Mortar Teams, Miners and Dwarven Legionaries. The Dwarven Legion were made from their bretheren in the mountains and any Alliance Dwarves who seek glory face-to-face with the enemy. Despite their common affinity to technology, the Legionaries favored melee combat than ranged combat. Hammers, swords and shields. But Bohg wasn't comfortable with leaving the Legionaries with simple melee weapons like the Alliance's own Footmen. So he had them carry Hand Cannons as well. Can't be too careful these days.

"Master Bohg! Master Bohg!"

The Head of Hammerforge looked to the source of the voice and saw his Assistant, Knight Lucy. The blue haired Knight squeezed past the Dwarven Engineers as she ran towards Bohg. The Dwarf raised an eyebrow as the woman finally reached him and held out a rolled up parchment.

"A message... from... Goddess, I'm out of shape... "

Bohg chuckled and let the Knight catch her breathe and took the message before unrolling the parchment. Reading the letter, Bohg felt himself frown and made his way back to his office. A scouting party of Dwarven Legionaries from the Greybeard Legion were wiped out by a pack of Lycans near the town of Lupin. Only one Legionary made it out alive but the Dwarf was afflicted with the curse and killed himself after delivering the message. Bohg grimaced. The Lycans and their wolves are becoming a bit of a problem as of late. Ever since the Black Dogs went dark, the Lycans and their kin split from the Dogs and were running amok in the more isolated towns and villages. Terrorising their inhabitants and bringing in more people under their horrible curse. The Head Engineer turned back to Lucy with a grim expression.

"Assemble the Ironfoot Legion. They'll take care of these cursed bastards."

"It will be done, Master."

The bluenette Knight bowed before runming towards the Legionary Barracks. Bohg watched her go before going over to his chair and looking down at the multiple projects he was working on. So many things to do and no rest until all of it was done. Just how he likes it. Better than sitting around and twiddling with their thumbs or, in Shorty's case, putting their fingers in some animal's bumhole.

"Now where is that little bugger?"

"Uh, Bohg... "

Bohg turned to the muffled speaker and immediately facepalmed at the sight. Of all the things he could've done, the shorter Dwarf managed to get his hand stuck inside a teapot and his head inside of an uncooked turkey. The Head of Hammerforge rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. How did the short bugger survive this long, he'll never know?

~Line Break~

Market District, City of Ur

Valerius peeked from the corner and looked around for any of the Skaven. The whoe district was a mess. Everything was destroyed but no bodies were in sight. Just bones, blood, guts and shit. The Captain would've looked for survivors but looking at this mess, he doubt he'll find anything with a pulse here. He looked over his shoulder to his comrades and nodded before walking towards the Market Square. Once Maia and Justinia saw the carnage, the redhead gagged but kept her lunch in but the Silverette couldn't. Justinia leaned on the wall and lifted her visor before spilling the contents of her stomach on the street. Maia walked over to the Knight to comfort the woman but as soon as the stench of the bile hit her nose, the redhead couldn't hould it in anymore and vomited next to the Silverette. The Captain saw this and ahook his head in amusement. It'll be a cold day in hell before he...

SQUELCH

He looked down and saw his boot on a pile of shit. Now stepping on a pile of shit wouldn't make him spill his lunch on the street like the other two. He's done that enough times in his life. No, what did make him run over to the two to puke was the fact that said pile of excrement had one eyeball gazing through his eyes and into his very soul. There was also the fact that it blinked. Blinked! How is that even remotely possible? There's no eyelids! And shouldn't that thing be digested as well? Valerius ran over to the two and pulled off his helmet before letting it all out. As the three humans puked their guts out, a door from the inn across the street slightly opened and a Halfling poked her head out.

"'Psst. Hey, giants. Get inside before the vermin sees!"

Valerius hazily held up his index finger as a sign to 'wait a minute' before wiping his mouth and grabbing the other two's attention towards the building.

"C-Come on. The half pint's got a point... heh... we can't stay here, my Lady."

Despite their need to spill their lunches, the two women kept it in and followed after the Captain as the Halfling bid them inside. Maia looked up at the sign of the building that read: The Gnawed Adventurer's Inn. If the rats did find them, the sign might hold true after all. Once they were all inside, the Halfling shut the door and locked it before running behind the counter and poured three mugs of water. She placed it on a platter before handing them out to the trio.

"Something to wash it down, giants."

"Too right."

Valerius grabbed a mug and chugged the water in one go. Light, that was freaky. Never had he encountered an eyeball on top of a pile of excrement blink at him. Ugh, he's never getting that image out of his head. The Captain walked over to the counter and took a seat before setting down his empty mug. The Halfling walked behind the counter and hopped up on a stool facing him.

"You big folk are lucky I'm awake at this hour. Otherwise, those vermin would've swarmed you like everyone else in the district. No. The whole city."

"And with that, you have my thanks, miss... "

"Maeri Underhill."

"Miss Underhill. Though I have to ask, how'd you manage to survive this long? From what we heard from the survivors who escaped, the rats flooded the city faster than anything."

"I mostly kept quiet and took in anyone who passed by when the rats aren't around. I've housed a few survivors but they didn't want to stay. They said the rats will find them here and left." The halfling pouted and crossed her arms "They didn't even say 'Thank you' or 'Goodbye'. Just up and left. Hmph."

"Hey, now. At least you got us. Though we do have to leave too. You can come with us if you'd like." Maia added as she took a seat next to Valerius, setting her half empty mug down as well "But we're still looking for a way out, though."

"Hmm. I don't know." The Halfling replied with uncertainty "I mean. I've made it this long and I still have a lot of stuff here and oh... "

"It's alright, Miss Underhill."

Despite knowing that the Halfling was probably twice his age, Valerius couldn't help but ruffle her hair like a child. It didn't help that she looked like a child as well.

"We understand if you don't want to join us. Just be careful when we're gone, alright?"

"Of course."

"Might we stay for the night though?" Justinia asked as she set her helmet and Zweihänder down on a table "It's more dangerous to leave in the dead of night than the light of day."

"Certainly!"

The Halfling jumped off the stool she was standing on and led the trio upstairs. She showed them a room near the stairs which had the windows boarded shut. The trio hoped the rats don't notice the place but considering that Maeri has survived this long... They'll find out soon enough. Valerius sighed and lay his weapons on the bed before lying down himself. He held one of the Hand Cannons in his right while his left clutched the handle of his sword. Seeing him get situated, the Halfling led the two to the room next to it. Maia was the first to notice how large the bed was before flopping down on the mattress, not bothering to take off her weapons. Justinia chuckled before letting the Halfling show her the adjacent room. The Knight bid Maeri goodnight before leaning her Zweihänder on the bedpost before lying down on the surprisingly comfy bed. Before she left, the Halfling told them that her own room was the one adjacent to Valerius' before bidding them goodnight and heading for said room.

Despite the current situation they were in, the Skaven simply passed by the inn as they made their patrol on the streets of Ur. It wasn't until morning did the news of what happened to the trio reached Jaina's ears.

~Line Break~

Castle Feoh, The Capital

Jaina sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she finished reading the report from Ur. Captain Valerius, Lady Maia and Knight Justinia ordered for their soldiers to retreat from the city and seal the doors to prevent the Skaven from leaving the city at the cost of their own way out. She didn't want to believe that they were dead but their chances are slim to none. She prayed that they still drew breath. Light knows what manner of horror they face in that ruined city. She quickly sent out the order to have Ranger-General Sylvanas take over as commander of the Quarantine Detachment in Ur. The Archmage felt a hand rubbing her back gently and looked over her shoulder to see Prim trying to cheer her up, reassuring her with a quivering smile that threatened to break.

"Thank you, Prim."

"N-No problem."

The Archmage stood up and walked over to the balcony. She rested her hands on the balustrade and looked down at the Capital. Even with the quarantine, Jaina made sure to double the guards on everything. She didn't want to have another incident like Ur recurring so she had soldiers patrol the sewers and stationed many in the caverns deeper below. From what she learned from Elder Cain, the Skaven are malevolent and diabolical. Even to their own. Their numbers were numerous and carry the belief that the entire world is rightfully theirs. Every other race that is not Skaven is considered inferior. Fortunately, it seems they only came to Ur and not the other cities but how they did it is another question. The purple beams didn't appear as it did with everything else but Elder Cain said that the Skaven's Warpstone might have something to do with it. From what he gathered from a person that came from the same world as the Skaven, the Warpstones can do many things, most were still quite unknown, and the Skaven utilize it for almost everything they use. She will admit, the Skaven are technologically superior with these Warpstones, as evidenced by those Ratling Guns, Warpfire Throwers and many more. Ingenious, disgusting bastards but ingenious nonetheless.

Her eyes looked to distance, to the City of Ur. If the numbers of Skaven are truly numerous as Elder Cain says, can they even exterminate such a threat? Or is the City of Ur destined to fall in the corrupted and disease-ridden hands of the Skaven? Only time will tell and she hoped Arthas would return soon. After all, as Lord Admiral of Kul'Tiras, she will be the one to lead the Alliance Navy against the Blood Hook Pirate League. Someone had to lead the Alliance. The ships of the fleet were already built and docked at Port Haven in the south and the Alliance Marines were eager to quell this pirate threat. The sea is calling to her. Time to see if she still has her sea legs.

"Prim."

The pinkette perked up and made her way towards the Archmage.

"Yes, Jaina?"

"Would you like to accompany me to Haven? I'll be inspecting the Marine Barracks there and see our ships off."

"Of course. Just let me get my thi- " Prim stopped mid-sentence before looking down on her feet "I forgot that they're all back in Ur."

"Hey, now. Don't look so down." Jaina placed a comforting arm around the girl's shoulder as she led them out of the room "Little things like clothes and trinkets can easily be replaced. They're ordinary. You, on the other hand, are unique. There's only one of you out there, Prim. Be thankful you got out of there with your life intact."

"You're right, Jaina." But the pinkette brought a finger to her chin and looked up "But there was that nifty, shiny, gold lamp that cost me 99,999 Gold Coins. They said something magical would happen if I rub it but nothing has happened so far."

The Archmage halted in her tracks and looked down at the pinkette with wide eyes before shaking her head with a small laugh and continued on.

"Prim, we need to have a little talk about your spending habits... and the rather questionable merchants you buy trinkets from."

~Line Break~

The Walls of Ur

Sylvanas Windrunner made her way up the stairs that led to the top of the wall. When command of the Quarantine Detachment was transferred to her, she knew something bad happened to the previous commander. Add in Jaina's orders to bring more troops to reinforce the ones lost and the High Elf knew that today was going to be a terrible one. Once she reached the top of the wall and saw the full extent of the damage in the city, she wondered if anything other than the rats were still alive down there. Behind her, Rangers carried crates filled with bows and arrows and set them down in a neat pile near the stairs. More Rangers came up and did the same to different sections of the wall, resupplying the Archers and Crossbowmen with much needed arrows. As the Ranger-General looked at the city and wondered how long will the quarantine last, Sergeant Andrew approached her.

"Hail, Ranger-General." The Sergeant greeted.

"Hail, Sergeant. I hear you were part of the scouting party, correct?"

"Yes, milady."

"What did you find in there?"

"The whole place is a nightmare. We barely made it out alive, milady. The rats are everywhere. In every corner, alleyway, even in the rooftops."

"Is there a way they can get out?" The High Elf inquired "Holes in the walls, other entrances to the city and the like?"

"The other entrances were sealed off and guarded just like this one. They could use the sewers but we had all sewer exits sealed. We can't risk leaving them a way out."

"Good." Sylvanas looked back at the city and eyed the Skaven patrolling every street "Do you think there's a chance your former commanders survived the night and are still alive in there?"

"I can't say, General. But I believe Captain Valerius will find a way out. He's studied the city's layout and has been finding routes that could lead him to the western gate faster. That's the closest one from here, milady." The Sergeant explained "But to get there, he'll have to pass by the Market District. The Market Square was crawling with rats when we scouted the area. Those rats are the very same ones that were chasing us during our retreat."

"So there's hope that he's still alive, maybe with Maia and that Knight, as well." The High Elf muttered to herself before her eyes landed on the west wall. Turning to her second, she ordered her Rangers to reinforce the Archers and Crossbowmen at the west wall. If they would be heading for the west gate to escape, then they need all the help they can get. This would also give her the opportunity to see what kind of enemy the Skaven are. How fast they are or what tactics they use?

"Sergeant, what can you tell me about the vermin down there?"

While the Sergeant explained what he could, a small part in the back of her mind wondered what Falric was and how was he fairing.

~Line Break~

Outpost 7, Kühlschrank

"Captain, look."

Falric looked to were the Footman was pointing at and grimaced behind his helmet. The path that led to Outpost 7 was littered with headless, naked bodies impaled on pikes. If it hadn't been for the blizzard, the crows would have already feasted on the bodies. He spurred his horse forward up the path until he reached the entrance of Outpost 7. Three headless bodies were hanged by their ankles on the arch over the entrance.

The Captain climbed down his mount and walked over to the large set of doors before pushing it open. He cursed at the sight before him. More impaled bodies were left in the Outpost's courtyard. Some were piled into the corner while others were hanged on to places where they can be hanged. There were even bodies impaled on a large spiked ball. Bar from those bodies, all were headless and naked. His eyes landed on the unmistakable form of a barbarian. More were littered around, meaning that the Outpost's defenders managed to at least fight back. He heard his men behind him curse as they entered the Outpost.

"Men, search the whole area. See if there's any barbarians who decided to stay. Be on your guard. These hairy bastards are crafty."

The Footmen silently followed his order and scattered throughout the outpost. He walked over to the pile of bodies and knelt down on one knee to inspect them. Falric sneered in disgust when he noticed that parts of them were missing. A few even had bite marks on them. Human teeth by the looks of it.

'Bloody savages.'

Falric rose from the ground and made his way to the Outpost Commander's office. Once inside, he saw the room was trashed. Blood flooded the floor. Bodies of barbarians strewn about. Shelves were toppled. And the body of the Outpost Commander lie spread eagle on the table. His own blade buried in his chest and his severed head rest atop his abdomen.

"Captain."

Falric turned his gaze away from the corpse and looked to the Footman.

"What is it?"

"We found a survivor, sir. But... it doesn't look good. The Priest has done all he can."

"What happened?"

"You'll just have to see for yourself, sir."

The Captain nodded grimly before following after the soldier. As they made their way to the cellar, the Footmen were busy digging up graves or taking great care in bringing the bodies of their dead to the graves. They walked down a dimly lit staircase before reaching the cellar below. Two Footmen guarded the door nd saluted him before letting him inside. Once there, he was met with the sight of five dead barbarians. Still bleeding from the looks of it.

The Footman led him towards a woman sitting on crate while covering her bloody and naked body with a blanket. A Priest was next to her, doing his best to console her. Falric then turned to the Footman for answers.

"What happened, soldier?"

"We found her when we heard the screams. We ran as fast as we could and kicked the door down. Once we did, we saw three of the hairy bastards violating her while the other two were busy eating her severed forearm. We killed them as swiftly as we could but... " The Footman shook his head in dismay "They tortured and violated her since they came back for her. Light, she had so many bleeding scars we thought she would've died from blood loss. Turns out the bloody bastards wanted her for themselves and locked her in the cellar before returning this morning. Light, I dread to think the horrors she had to endure."

The Captain grunted in agreement before looking back at the young woman. She was clutching the blanket around her body but Falric could still see her stump. He shook his head and turned back to the Footman.

"Sergeant, I want you to give her everything she needs. Food, water, clothing. Anything. We'll bury the bodies then we leave. Outpost 7 is lost. The Prince must know. We'll take her with us back to Wolf's Den before sending her back to Eostia on the next supply convoy. She'll never have to see or think about Kühlschrank again."

"Understood, sir."

Falric watched him go before looking back at the poor woman.

'Light watch over her and give her the strength to live on. Light watch over us and give us the strength to slay the Barbarian King and his army. May their souls rot in the deepest, darkest depths of Hell.'


	14. Might of Lordaeron Ch 14

Docks, Port Haven

Jaina watched the ships leave the port. It took them nearly two weeks to reach Port Haven and they at least managed to arrive two days before sending off the ships. Speaking of. It took them a long time but eventually the Alliance managed to build a small fleet to patrol the Southern Seas for any pirates. There will be more ships soon but for now, they had to deal with other matters inland. The Skaven and Ur for one. The Lord Admiral turned and looked at a certain pinkette waving a handkerchief in the air as she bid the ships farewell. Jaina smiled before noticing a Kul'Tiran Royal Guard approach. He bowed his head before holding out a rolled up parchment with the seal of Hammerforge. Jaina thanked the Guard before unrolling the scroll and reading it's contents. Her eyes narrowed and her lips slowly turned into a scowl as she read the message.

'Great. As if Pirates and Skaven weren't bad enough, we have to deal with Lycans now too. Fantastic.'

She handed the message back to the Guard and nodded her thanks before calling for Prim. The pinkette quickly made her way to the blonde beauty's side.

"Is something the matter?"

"Unfortunately. I've just received word that Lycans are running amok, causing chaos among the towns and villages. Two Dwarven Legions are taking care of it but there's been sightings near Port Haven and I fear they may attack in the dead of night."

"Oh dear!"

"I originally planned for us take a carriage back to the Capital but it seems there has been a change of plans. With Lycans nearby, the roads aren't safe in the night. We must stay here for the night and leave for tomorrow."

"But didn't you say that the Lycans may attack tonight?"

Prim started wringing her hands in nervousness. Jaina smiled reassuringly and placed her hand on the young girl's shoulder before giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I know but as I said, the roads will be dangerous. But here, we have the garrison and the local guards' help should the Lycans attack. And don't worry, stay with me and I'll keep you safe. I promise."

~Line Break~

Spoiled Pig Inn, Port Haven

Prim unconsciously stuck her tongue out as she finished the final touches of her art. A painting of mountains and their reflections on a lake, coupled with trees and the like. Letting out a small sound of joy, she set down the paintbrush before walking over to the water basin to wash her hands and face. On the other side of the room, Jaina was sitting on a chair next to a table with a lamp, reading a book about the Lycans while humming a tune she heard in her dreams.

The peaceful atmosphere was ruined when a loud scream came from outside. The Mage jumped to her feet and quickly moved to the window. Outside, she could see soldiers marching in the streets. Passersby running to the safety of their homes as the Lycans hunt down any of those unfortunate enough gain their attention. On the rooftops, Jaina could see the unmistakable forms of the Lycans as they jumped from roof to roof. One of them stopped on top of the roof adjacent to their building and howled before, in a show of tremendous agility, lunged off the roof directly towards their window.

Jaina jumped back and shielded Prim as the Lycan burst through the window, landing on all fours. It bared it's fangs before slowly rising on it's hind legs. It's head almost reaching the ceiling as it stood menacingly over them. The two slowly backed away to the door as the Lycan approached them, growling at the two with each step it took. Jaina's eyes switched between the Lycan and her staff leaning on the wall before settling a glare at the wolf. Without another word, the Mage ran for her staff to which the Lycan replied by lunging at her. The Mage managed to grab her staff before turning around just as the wolf landed on top of her and pinning her to the ground. She used her staff to keep it from biting her head off but she knew she wasn't strong enough to keep it back for long so she turned her head to the side to yell for Prim to run. To her surprise, the young pinkette grabbed a chair and slammed it on the wolf's back. This only served to earn the ire of the Lycan as it jumped off Jaina and turned it's sights on the pinkette.

The blonde Mage saw this and quickly reacted. Her eyes glowed before throwing a Fireball that sent the Lycan flying across the room. She didn't give it a chance to recover as she jumped to her feet and cast Cone of Cold on the Lycan. The wolf barely had time to gather it's bearings before being assaulted by the spell, freezing it in place. The wolf's frozen form was quickly destroyed as Jaina sent a Ice Lance at it, shattering the frozen Lycan into pieces. Jaina let out a breath before turning to Prim. Before she could say a word, sounds of fighting were heard from outside and the two moved to the window to check it out.

Below them, Footmen, Marines and local Militiamen fought against dozens and dozens of Lycans. Jaina spotted larger ones that took on four Footmen and proceeded to slaughter them like they were nothing. She turned to Prim and said "We have to leave."

"But where will we go?"

The pinkette's lips quivered as she looked up at the Mage's slightly glowing eyes.

"Anywhere but here. Come on!"

And with that, she grabbed the young girl by the wrist and ran out of their room. They went down stairs to see the Innkeeper and a Marine fighting off two Lycans. One of them managed to get a lucky hit on the Innkeeper then proceeded to grab him by the shoulder. It opened it's jaws and prepared to rip the poor man's throat out but a Frostbolt slammed into it's head, forcing it to drop the Innkeeper who proceeded to thrust his shortsword into the beast's heart. This proved to be a mistake as the Lycan growled and swiped it's claws with tremendous strength that it decapitated the Innkeeper, leaving a bloody mess on the Inn's floor.

Jaina saw this and faced the Lycan. It moved to attack but she quickly sent a Ice Lance that went straight through it's heart, leaving a bloody hole in it's chest. As gruesome of a sight it is, Jaina did the sane to the other Lycan who had the Footman's severed head between it's jaws. Throughout the whole ordeal, Prim was doing the best to keep her dinner from spilling all over the floor. She swallowed to keep it in and looked down on the ground only to stare straight into the unblinking eyes of the Innkeeper's severed head. The pinkette turned to the side and threw up on the floor. She was glad that she had her hair tied into a tail, otherwise, her pink hair would be a sickly shade of green by now. With bits of carrot too.

Prim wiped her mouth after she finished and quickly ran to Jaina's side while doing the best she can to avoid looking at the carnage of the Inn. She was suddenly handed a small knife by the Mage and the pinkette looked questionably at the woman.

"You need a weapon. Just in case. It may not do much but it's better than not having anything to defend yourself with." Jaina answered before looking outside to see that the Marines, Footmen and Militiamen formed a perimeter outside of the Inn. A group of Riflewomen fired their Blunderbusses at the Lycans as they ran towards the Inn. A woman with black hair and wearing lamellar armor underneath a brown cloak.

"Lady Proudmoore, Lady Prim. Sergeant Madison, at your service. Governor Agatha sent us to retrieve you, my Lady. She has put the both of your safeties as of utmost importance. Follow us. We will lead you to her house."

"But what about the Port's people?"

"The Marine, Alliance and Seven Shield garrisons are providing safe shelter for them as well as the Governor herself. They are well-defended for now. The Governor has sent a message via messenger bird to the Dwarven Legions for aid. Until they arrive, we have to survive the night."

~Line Break~

The Town of Lupin, Eostia.

Grimhold Ironfoot, Legion Commander of the Ironfoot Legion, looked at the deserted town of Lupin from atop of a small hill. They had hoped to evacuate the town but it seems the Lycans got to there first. With no survivors to evacuate, the Ironfoot Legion routed the Lycans that remained in the town. He then ordered the Legion to fortify the town and make it act as their base for now. At least until the Lycan threat was over. Considering the reports of large numbers of the Lycans spotted around, it would take a long time before that happens.

"Legion Commander."

Grimhold turned away to look at the speaker. His most trusted friend and second-in-command, Head Captain Odrik Stoneshield. Retired but called to serve once more. The greying red-haired Dwarf bravely led the Legion's Veterans, the Steelfists, who spearheaded most of their battles and were more than experienced with the art of war.

"Yes, Odrik?"

"We have received a message from Governor Agatha from Port Haven. It says that the port is under attack by a large number of Lycans. At least one or two companies worth. She says that there are also a number of Alphas among them."

Grimhold hummed in thought as he ran his hand along his massive, grey beard. A force of that many rabid bastards led by Alphas. They damn well really needed the help and he was all too happy to give it.

"I want you and the Steelfists to deal with them. Take three companies with you. Have them surround the port while you and your lads enter the port and kill every single one of those hairy bastards."

"Understood, sir."

"Good. Any word from the Greybeards?"

Odrik nodded his head and grimaced.

"They've met a force of nearly a Legion's worth of Lycans in the fields of Feliana. The battle has been going on for quite some time now. Alphas are sure to be among them."

Alphas. Aside from being smarter than the average Lycan, they were bigger, faster and stronger too. He knew of a great many Dwarves that were taken down brutally by Alphas through cunning or overwhelming numbers. But even so, a good severing of the head with a good quality axe or a solid bash with a shield will take care of the big, hairy bastards.

"The Greybeards are still angered with the loss of their scouting party. I'll expect them to arrive a day or two behind. They won't stop until the last of those Lycans are dead. In the meantime, I'll go and see how the lads are doing. You may take your leave, Head Captain."

"Sir."

~Line Break~

Governor's Office, Port Haven

Governor Agatha Wells looked outside of her window to see the barricades set up around her house which also acted as the Governor's Office. The north, south and eastern roads that lead to the building were barricaded and guarded by a mix of Footmen, Marines, Militiamen, Riflewomen and Seven Shields Greatswords. Her people were safely sheltered inside her home.

"Governor Agatha."

The Governor turned around to face the soldier at her office door.

"Yes?"

"The roof is secured, milady. We have four Riflewomen up top to snipe the Lycans and a group of Footmen to guard them should the beasts get to them. Folks who wishbto fight have been armed and absorbed into the ranks of the Militiamen. We've also handed out as much of the food and water we can manage to the children and the elderly."

"Good work, soldier. You are dismissed."

The soldier nodded before walking out to the corridor, leaving the Governor to herself. Agatha sighed and walked over to the cutlass mantled on the wall. The sword belonged to her father and his father before him. The blade had never been used nor has it ever been entrusted in the hands of a woman. It seems tonight is the time to change that. She walked over and took the sword and sheathe before sheathing the weapon and strapping it on her belt. Agatha then moved to the closet and opened it, revealing a navy blue coat and a matching tricorn hat. Without a word, she put both on.

The coat was a little too big on her but that was expected considering it was tailored for a man as was the hat. Securing the hat on her head, she walked over to her desk and opened a drawer. Revealing a Hand Cannon. She only received it tonight and the process in which she did was something she regretted. When the Lycans attacked, she just left the Alliance garrison and was escorted by two Alliance Footmen. They managed to send anyone they passed by to her office to shelter them and rally soldiers to her office as well. Of course the Lycans saw them and attacked. One of her Footmen escorts, George, took a blow meant for her and gave her the Hand Cannon to kill the Lycan that dealt the blow. One shot to the heart left a sizeable hole on the beast's chest but the Footman's wounds were to fatal and died choking on his own blood. If she had only been aware of her surroundings, maybe the noble Footman would've survived.

Agatha shook her head before leaving her office and walking down the stairs to the lobby. She passed by women, children and elderly on the way before finally exiting the building. The Governor looked around her to see the soldiers standing ready at their posts. Footmen and Marines at the front of the line with their shields ready along with the Greatswords. Militiamen was the next line of defense and the Riflewomen were the last. Some of the Riflewomen were inside and on the second floor of the building where they got a better vantage point than the ones below.

"They Lycans are coming! The Lycans are coming!"

A scout ran inside the barricade. Agatha quickly turned to the soldiers around her.

"Keep the people inside. Do not let the wolves in. Hold your ground!"

The soldiers of Port Haven readied themselves for the coming of the wolves. They waited on baited breath, hands gripping their weapons tight. Agatha herself held her weapon tight to the point her knuckles were turning pale. A howl came from the distance before one of the Riflewomen from the roof fired a shot. A few moments later, the large forms of the Lycans jumped over the barricade and landed right in front of the Footmen. One of them landed close to her and she didn't waste time in charging the beast. She swung her cutlass down on an arc and let the blade bury itself diagonally on the beast's shoulder.

The Lycan howled in pain and retaliated by backhanding her, sending her flying into a group of Militiamen. The beast growled as it slowly made it's way towards the downed Governor. Agatha blinked the dizziness away before her eyes focused on the approaching Lycan. Gathering her bearings, she grabbed the Hand Cannon and pointed it at the wolf just as it pounced. The gap between them was but a few inches when Agatha pulled the trigger. The Hand Cannon's shot decimated the wolf's head, effectively killing it. Unfortunately, it's headless body landed on top of the woman, pinning her to the ground. But try as she might, the Lycan's body was too heavy for her to push off.

"Come on, you bloody bastard!"

But the beast's weight was too much and her cursing only bought the attention of another Lycan. The second wolf stalked over to the pinned woman and bared it's fangs as it drew closer to her. One of the Militiamen tried to stop it but the wolf grabbed him by the throat and calf before raising him up in the air and pulled him in two. The poor man's blood and internal organs bathed the Lycan, making it look more menacing and monstrous than it already is. It finally reached Agatha and effortlessly threw away the corpse of it's kin before grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground. The raven haired Governor stared directly into the beast's own eyes, seeing nothing but bloodlust and malice. She punched, kicked and cursed but the grip around her neck only seem to tighten further. Her vision was slowly narrowing and in a few more moments, death awaits.

"Rrraaaggghh!"

The grip around her neck loosened and she was dropped unceremoniously to the ground. Agatha took in deep breathes to fill back her lungs before looking up to her savior who finished off the Lycan by beheading it. He turned to the side to avoid a second Lycan then ran the beast through with his weapon. The knight pulled his Greatsword upwards and split the top half of the wolf in two. Finished with his work, the knight made his way towards her. Frim what she could see, he was tall and wearing a set of heavy armor with a blue striped tabard. The chestplate had a symbol of twin... eagles? He wore a winged helm which hid her savior's face. In his hands was a Greatsword, the likes of which she had never seen before. The knight then held out his hand toward her.

"Are you alright, my Lady?"

Though his voice was muffled, she could still hear the soft tone of his voice. She took the offered hand with a nod and let him help her stand up. Up close, he was taller than she thought he was. Though she was of average height, this knight was at least as tall as the Prince of Lordaeron.

"Thank you, Ser Knight."

Any form of reply was cut off as a bolt of lightning passed between them and struck a Lycan that was about to attack them. The lightning bolt struck the beast and sent it flying a few feet away, a large bleeding hole in it's chest. The two turned to face a woman with short raven hair and crystal blye eyes. She had a red streak running across the bridge of her nose and some freckles. A cocky smirk adorned her features as she twirled a menacing looking staff then proceeded to stab the bladed end of it into the heart of another Lycan before her hand suddenly became alit with fire. The woman pulled the bladed end of her staff free before throwing a fireball right into the beast's chest. The action threw the Lycan to it's back as flames licked it's body, causing it to howl in pain and roll on the ground to put out the flames.

The woman looked at her handiwork and chuckled before walking over to them. She looked up at the knight and crosses her arms.

"Ever had to cook wolves in your travels, Warden?"

"Kill, sure. But we never thought of cooking it. It could be Blighted after all." The knight, Warden, replied before sheathing his large blade on his back "Although, Oghren might have tried to cook one. Wait, no. He tried to cook Leliana's pet nug."

"Look out!"

The trio dropped into their battle stance and saw a Lycan mid-pounce get run through by a large Ice Lance. They looked to the source to see Lady Proudmoore and her escorts enter the fray. Agatha saw Madison firing her Blunderbuss next to the blonde Mage who sent bolt after bolt of ice into the Lycans. Jaina then raised her staff high in the air, it's crystal glowed brightly as it matched the blinding glow from the blonde's own eyes. Large shards of ice began to fall from the heavens, impaling the wolves and miraculously avoided doing the same to their own soldiers. With most of the wolves dead and those that remained were being taken care of by the soldiers, Jaina lowered her staff and let Madison lead her to the Governor.

"Lady Proudmoore." Agatha greeted "I'm relieved to see you well, my Lady."

"Likewise, Governor." Jaina replied before turning to Madison "Please take Prim inside the building, Sergeant."

"Of course, my Lady."

Jaina watched the woman leave and have her group escort the young pinkette to the Governor's Office. Turning to said Governor, Jaina asked "How is the Port faring?"

"I don't know, Lady Proudmoore. This is all I could gather as of late. The barracks around the Port might hold their own but we have no way to tell." Agatha shook her head "I expected a few of them. Not this. I just hope the Dwarven Legions arrive in time."

"How many Lycans are there?" Jaina asked.

"A hundred. Maybe two, Lady Proudmoore." The Governor replied with a shake of her head "The largest group of Lycans we've encountered were three dozen. No more than that. This many Lycans? It's unheard-of."

"I've had my fair share of Werewolves."

All eyes turned to the Knight.

"But I too have not seen a number such as this. Even then, we didn't have to kill them all. We managed to turn them back to humans."

"You speak of those who cannot turn on their own will, Ser Knight." Agatha responded "These Lycans, especially the Alphas, can turn themselves willingly. Those who were newly afflicted, however, cannot. Some might have been scouting the Port in daylight before the attack but it matters not."

The Governor turned away to look at the retreating form of the wolves. She knew they'll be back. Some of the garrisons might not have been too heavily defended like her Office. No doubt they know that as well.

"We must concern ourselves in holding out until the Ironfoot Legion arrives."

"Why them?" The raven haired Mage, who planted her staff on the ground and was leaning on it, asked "What's so special about them?"

"They were the closest one here. They came here to resupply and also investigate the whereabouts of the Lycans. They just left yesterday and said they were heading for the town of Lupin next. It's only a few hours ride from here. I just hope the message arrived in time."

"Certainly better than not having reinforcements at all."

"Indeed." Agatha agreed before bowing her head "Forgive me but I have not introduced myself yet. My name is Agatha Wells. Governor of Port Haven."

The Knight took off his winged helm, revealing a man in his mid-20s with dark, shaggy hair and thick facial hair that matched. Dark brown eyes with his hair covering the left one. The man smiled gently and bowed slightly.

"Warden Cousland. At your service, Governor."

Agatha smiled and nodded before turning to the other woman who simply nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Hawke. A pleasure."

"Likewise."

"Governor." Agatha turned to the speaker a Footman approached them "The Lycans are retreating for now. They might target the barracks but it will give us some time to regroup and rebuild."

"As much as I want to we can't help them. Doing so would leave this place short on defenders. I already took a risk with Lady Proudmoore and Lady Prim. I can't spare the men. We'll just have to hope that they'll hold out long enough."

Hearing this made Jaina frown. As much as she wanted to, the Governor was right. Sending out a party to reinforce the other barracks will lower the manpower here and considering that they barely pushed back the first wave, they need all the men they could get.

"Why send reinforcements when you can just have them retreat here?" Hawke suggested "We could just head on over to the barrackses and tell them to fall back here. That way, you'll get more troops to defend this place."

"But the journey from here to there is dangerous." Agatha argued "Who knows how many Lycans are lurking in the shadows. They could be lying in ambush."

"But isn't it better than leaving them to die to those beasts? At least if they make their way here, they still have a chance." Hawke then turned to Cousland "Aed, help me out here."

"Her reasoning is sound, Governor Wells." Cousland began "But it's also risky to go there and have them run back here. You are right, Governor, that there could be a number of Lycans running around or lying in wait for an ambush but if we want to get those men here, we'll have to take the chance. There will be casualties but I will do whatever I can to lessen that."

"You?" Jaina asked with a raised eyebrow "So you'll volunteer?"

"Of course, my Lady. Marion and I will go and head for the barracks."

"Wait what?"

Cousland ignored her and continued.

"You said that you can't spare the men so WE will be glad to do it in their stead."

"I didn't agree to shit you big bearded bastard!"

From behind his helmet, Aedan smirked and shrugged much to Marion's annoyance. Agatha smiled before nodding to the Warden.

"Very well, Warden Cousland. You have my thanks."

"Of course, Governor." He turned and walked off with his unwilling companion begrudgingly follow. Jaina watched them go before turning to the Governor.

"Have you ever encountered them before?"

"I'm afraid not, my Lady."

"I do, milady." The Footman from before answered "They came here about two months ago and have been living here since."

"Huh. How did that slip my attention?"

"You were busy with trade at the time, Governor."

"Oh."

~Line Break~

"You and your bleeding heart. I knew I should've left a Grey Warden to his business but nooo. My conscience decides to butt in at the last second. Should've left you when I had the chance." Marion muttered under her breath before glaring up at the Warden who had removed his helmet, revealing a head of shaggy, dark brown hair that reached just above his shoulders. A pair of warm brown eyes and a scar across his nose. A beard covered most of the lower part of his face. Making it look like Duncan's. The Warden simply chuckled and looked down at her with a smile.

"Well. It's been half a year since we met on that road and you still haven't left yet so... " He shrugged and the shorter woman intensified her glare before dropping it with a sigh and a shake of her head.

"Sometimes I don't know whether to punch you into a bloody mess or make you scream my name again and again and again. I swear if you weren't such a good looking bastard... " The raven haired Mage made a disgruntled noise before briskly walking ahead of him.

A red-faced Aedan watched her go as images of her flooded his mind, much to his chagrin. It didn't help that Marion knew that he was as chaste as a cloistered sister. He knew about sex, innuendos and the like. Mostly from Zev and Oghren but he never actually thought about doing any of it with anyone really. Not until he was wed at least. Mother kept pestering him about more grandchildren back then too. Thinking about this topic reminded him of the time he told Marion about it.

'What kind of Noble waits for marriage to sleep with someone? If you weren't so clueless to all the advances these men and women tried and failed to show you, I would've called you a fucking liar.'

Yeah. She was never gonna let him live that down. But at least she hadn't left. Not when everyone he knew in the past did. To this day he still didn't know why she hadn't left him. Marion had every opportunity to leave and no reason to stick around. She could go on her own way, she was even doing fine before they met actually. After their bloody first meeting, which included a lot of dead Black Dogs that tried to mug him, they made a killing in the monster hunting business and were set for life after only three months of working. He thought by the time they stopped when business around their part of the country went slow she'd leave yet she still accompanied him even though they were mostly on the road until they made it to Port Haven. Working as a mercenary and a baker. Sten really did like his cookies back then.

"Aed, do you hear that? Listen."

He was kicked out from his musings and strained his ears to listen. He thought she was just hearing things but then he heard it too. The soft wailing of a child. Without thinking, Aedan quickly ran to the source. Marion quickly caught up with him and the duo traversed through the alleyways and into a different street before they found a lone child crying in the middle of the road, holding onto the unmoving body of the child's mother.

While Aedan quickly moved to the child's side, Marion had narrowed her eyes and looked around at the abandoned street. The place was dark. No lamps were lit to illuminate their surroundings. Dead bodies were everywhere. There were pools of blood and bloodstains on the ground that suggested that the bodies were dragged to someplace else. Werewolves have better senses than a human. There was no way they would've missed a child here. The setting was spelled ambush in her mind and Aedan was falling for it. She saw something up above the rooftops and quickly threw a Fire Ball at it.

What followed was a smoking carcass and the arrival of seven Lycans. They howled and growled before one of them pounced towards Aedan. The Warden's instincts kicked in and he grabbed the child, a girl no older than nine. Aedan dodged the Lycan before carrying the child with his left arm and unsheathing a dagger in the other. It was the only one-handed weapon he had on him and he wouldn't dare let go of the child in case the Lycans go after her or she runs off to who knows where. He quickly looked to the child and gave her a comforting look or at least what he hoped was a comforting look considering the situation they were in. Three Lycans surrounded them while the rest were busy fighting Marion.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. Just stay with me."

The child wrapped her arms around him tighter and hid her face on his neck. Good. One so young shouldn't have to see more blood and death than she already has. One Lycan charged him but he was quick to dodge and swift to cut the werewolf across the back. Perks of being a Grey Warden and extensive training. Heightened senses and instincts. Though he knew it was a trap from the beginning, he didn't want to leave the child alone. Besides, he's done the same before and they always end up with him the victor.

Two werewolves lunged at him at the same time and he ducked, letting the two hit each other and fall into a heap instead. With all his might, he raised his dagger high in the air before bringing it down on the Lycan's skull. He twisted it twice before pulling it hard, showering him with blood that sprayed from the wound. Suddenly, Aedan found himself face down on the ground. Pain in his back. His mind quickly went to the child and he looked around only to see her lying a few feet away from him, curled into a ball and the first Lycan drawing closer to her.

A feeling of rage took over him and his eyes turned into a glowing grey. Aedan rose to his feet and unsheathed his Greatsword before throwing it at the Lycan. The werewolf stood over the weeping child as it raised it's hand, claws ready to kill the welp before it. Before it could deliver the blow, Aedan's Greatsword buried itself in the werewolf's heart. It howled in pain but Aedan was already there to pull the blade free. With a mighty pull, the Greatsword was free from the Lycan's chest and the Warden spun and bisected the werewolf in two.

Aedan wasn't given time to recover as a third werewolf grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around before backhanding him. The Warden grunted in pain as he stumbled back but regained his footing before charging the Lycan. He clashed into the werewolf's midsection and, with a surprising show of strength, lifted the Lycan off the ground before slamming it back to the road. Aedan found his dagger next to him and grabbed it before stabbing the Lycan in the heart, eliciting a pained howl from the beast. But Aedan wasn't done and he stabbed the creature again and again and again, bathing him in blood.

He didn't know how long had he been stabbing them but he was snapped out of it when someone wrapped their arms around his body and struggled hard to pull his large form away from the dead Lycan.

"Aedan! Stop it, you big fucker! It's dead!"

The rage left Aedan's eyes and his vision began to clear, revealing the bloody carnage he had left behind. He looked down on himself and saw he was drenched in blood. So much blood. Then he noticed the familiar pair of arms wrapped around him and knew he had gone Berserk once more. He didn't like going Berserk. It always left him feeling empty. Letting out all his rage in battle only to find himself feeling nothing but emptiness after. Sometimes even tired. Aedan closed his eyes and muttered his mantra to calm himself down.

"It's over, Aedan." Marion muttered from behind him, still not letting go of the Warden "They're dead."

It was then Aedan realized the reason why he went Berserk in the first place. His head turned to the direction of the young child and saw her still curled up in a ball but with everything around them silent, he could hear the soft sobs coming from the girl. Marion heard it too as she turned her head to face the child's form. She let her arms drop and let Aedan make his way to the child.

The Grey Warden looked at the girl as he slowly approached her. He knew he was covered head to toe in blood but he needed to comfort the girl. For her sake. Aedan reached the girl and knelt down before gently touching her shoulder, wincing after he saw her flinch upon contact. Maybe she saw the gruesome way he disposed of the Lycans and feared him now.

"Hey, it's okay." He began gently as he could "The monsters are gone now. You're safe."

The child trembled but slowly uncurled herself before looking up at the Warden. Aedan did his best to smile comfortingly at the girl, praying that his appearance didn't scare her anymore than she already was. He gently helped her up her feet and realized how small she really was. Then again, he was pretty broad and tall so a lot of things were small to him. The child's lips trembled before she jumpes up to Aedan and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. Aedan blinked before smiling and returning the hug, running his hand down her back in a comforting motion.

"There. There. It's alright. I'll keep you safe, pup."

"I... I... I want my mama. I want my family."

Aedan's heart broke for the child. Dead family and a girl wanting them back while he did all he can to comfort her. It was all too familiar to him. Unbidden memories of that dreadful night flooded his mind. Oren choking on his own blood while his mother was raped by his killers. He dealt with them and had his first taste of being a Berserker's rage. Lady Landra and her son dead on their beds. At least their deaths looked quick. Iona holding her neck as an arrow pierced her throat while Elissa cradled her body, the life slowly leaving the poor Elf's eyes. Old Aldous and Mother Mallol ran through with a sword. He returned the favor in kind to their killers. Ser Gilmore and the Castle Guards, tired and outnumbered yet held Howe's men long enough for them to reach father. He was forever thankful for his friend's sacrifice. Father clutching the bleeding wound Howe gave him. Mother staying behind with their father. Their parents telling him and Elissa that they loved them. Him and Duncan dragging away a screaming Elissa as they escaped Castle Cousland. Elissa hitting and cursing him, blaming him for leaving their parents behind while he held her tight in his arms. Letting her vent all her grief and anger out while he kept his bottled up. Wallowing in regret, self-loathing, anger and pain but he tried to stay strong for his sister. Never crying. Never breaking. And it worked until they came to the Gauntlet.

He was shaken from his memories when the girl's sobs turned into quiet whimpers. He slowly pulled away a bit to look at her and the child wiped her tears away.

"What's your name, pup?"

"E-Eleanor Belmont."

Aedan let out a pained smile at the name before nodding at the child in his arms.

"Eleanor? A beautiful name for a beautiful child." He then used his finger to boop the girl's nose to which she giggled in response "My name is Aedan. Aedan Cousland. It's nice to meet you, Eleanor."

While the two were lost in their own little world, Marion watched from her spot with a sad look on her face. She looked around the street and at her handiwork. Two burnt corpses, one was nothing more than shattered ice, while the last one was a smoking corpse courtesy of a pointblank Lightning spell. Her eyes found themselves looking at Aedan's kills and all of them were bloody. One Lycan was cut in two while another had a large bleeding hole on the top of it's head. She didn't need to look at the last one to know it's gruesome fate. Marion looked back at the two and made a decision before making her way over to them.

"Aedan."

The two looked to Marion as she approached. Aedan gave her a smile while Eleanor tried to hide her face but the Warden insisted the child to look at Marion who crouched down next to Aedan, her head tilted slightly to rest on his shoulder.

"Eleanor, I'd like you to meet Marion Hawke. She's my partner and friend. You can trust her."

Eleanor looked bashful at first before waving at the Mage.

"H-Hello."

Marion smiled and pinched the child's cheeks before booping her in the nose.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Eleanor. But I won't stay for long, however."

If he could, he would've turned his head to look at Marion with a pair of confused eyes but he didn't and instead rested his cheek on her head. He found it odd that she would do this in a place like this. Normally, she would do this only once in a while when their home but never whenever they were fighting or after the fight. Marion had never been this... intimate with him.

"Is something wrong?" Gently, he asked.

"You have to return to the Governor and keep her safe. I'll head to the barracks and continue on as planned."

"I can't let you go there alone, Marion."

"I can handle myself, Aed. Trust me... please."

'She had to go with the please, didn't she?' Aedan thought to himself 'How can I refuse that now?'

"Fine. Just... be careful."

"Me against a city running with werewolves?" Marion gave him a challenging smirk which he didn't see "Hardly seems fair... for them."

Aedan sighed but smiled before gently shaking her off and rising to his feet. Eleanor still in his arms.

"I'll leave you to it then. I trust you wouldn't do anything stupid and be careful."

"Of course I'll be careful. Don't you know me?"

"...Like I said, be careful."

~Line Break~

Head Captain Odrik Stoneshield kept his expression neutral as he and his boys, the Steelfists, entered Port Haven. The rest of the Legionaries had the port surrounded. No one can get in or out without having to deal with the Legionaries. The Head Captain was clad in full steel armor and in his left hand was a large, round shield while in his right was a Mithril Axe. An heirloom of the Stoneshields.

"Eyes open, lads. Keep an eye out for these hairy bastards."

"What about the humans?"

"Aye. Them too."

Suddenly, a large Lycan landed on all fours in front of him. The werewolf slowly rose to it's full height, towering over the Legionaries who had their shields raised and their spears pointed at the beast. All except Head Captain Odrik who simply glared back at the werewolf. Seeing this the Lycan lowered it's head and growled as it came face-to-face with the dwarf.

"Wrong move, ya filthy animal."

Before it could react, Odrik slammed his shield on the werewolf's snout with enough force to crack bone. He quickly swung his axe across the Lycan's abdomen, letting it's innards fall to the ground in a bloody heap. He then used the edge of his shield to punch the joint of the Lycan and forced it to it's knees. It tried to swipe at him but he simply leaned back and chopped the offending appendage off. The Lycan howled in pain but was cut off a second later when Odrik buried his axe on the Lycan's skull. With a snort of disgust, he pulled his weapon free and kicked the body down.

"Filthy bastards."

Odrik looked away from the body and gazed at the full moon.

"The night's just beginning, lads. Plenty of Lycan bastards to kill. Make me proud, Steelfists."

The Steelfists let out roars of agreement befire marching down the road in formation. The night had indeed just begun and the Steelfists were all too happy to rid this world of the Lycan's filth and whatever beasts that plague these lands. Tonight, the blood of their foes will flood the streets of the port. No werewolf is safe from them. Death will come to the Lycans but they damn well sure won't make it quick.

~Line Break~

Jaina wiped the sweat off her brow and took off her cloak. If Arthas was freezing his ass off in KÃhlschrank, she was sweating hers here in Eostia. She could just make the temperature lower but she was too exhausted to do anything.

"Jaina."

The blonde Mage looked to the door of the Governor's Office and saw Prim standing in the doorway with a mug of something on each hand. She raised an eyebrow before letting the pinkette enter the room. Prim handed her a mug and she looked down at the contents before giving it a sip. As soon as the taste registered in her tongue, she pulled the mug away. It was ale and she didn't like that particular drink. Prim, however, was another story. The pinkette's eyes were half lidded and red dusted her cheeks.

"Tha -hic- was, uh, thing. Uh? Oh! Good. -hic- that was good."

"I think that's enough for you, young lady."

"No!"

Prim kept the mug away from Jaina's hands and downed the drink as she ran around the room while the Mage chased after her. She didn't get far before tripping over her own two feet and landing face first into the floor. The mug flew off her hands and into the air before bouncing off the top of her head as it fell.

"...ow."

The Lord Admiral chuckled before gently helping the smaller girl up to her wobbly feet and escorting her to where the couch. She set Prim down and couldn't help but laugh a little when she saw the pinkette was already asleep. Snoring loudly as a bit of drool dripped from the corner of her mouth. Jaina smiled down at the girl before picking up the empty mug on the floor and setting it down on the table. That was a bit refreshing despite the current situation they were in. She took a seat on the Governor's chair behind the desk and decided to take a short cat nap.

~Line Break~

Jaina opened her eyes and found herself standing in the middle of a frozen wasteland. The snow was blowing heavily yet it doesn't seem to affect her. She didn't even feel the cold. Her eyes swept through the snow covered field only to widen in horror as she noticed the bodies half buried in the snow. She quickly recognized some of them as Footmen when she looked closer at their armor. There were othee bodies there too but ones she did not recognize. Her ears picked up the sounds of metal clashing against metal and quickly ran to the source. Her feet brought her to a field where to combatants were locked in brutal melee. One she recognized as Arthas while his opponent was one she did not recognize.

He was tall and muscular, built like an orc. Red paint, or was it blood, adorned his arms and bare chest. He wore only a fur cloak, fur loincloth and boots. In his hands were a wicked looking axe and a menacing sword that she could only describe as demonic.

As Jaina watched the two battle it out, she realized that the field they were in was devoid of life or corpses... except one. Her eyes landed on the figure far from the two that had a sword buried in their chest. Jaina couldn't hold the gasp that escaped her lips as she recognized the figure even from afar. She quickly ran towards the body, praying it wasn't her. As soon as she reached the figure, her knees gave out. Lying in a pool of her own blood was Alicia Arcturus. Her blonde hair soaked red with her blood along with her armor while her purple eyes blankly stared into the sky. So much blood.

"Oh, Light. No. Please. Tell me this isn't real."

"Rrraaaggghh!"

Jaina turned around just in time to see Arthas charge his opponent only for him to be blown back by a torrent of blue flames. The Prince rolled to a stop before trying to get back up only for his opponent to stomp on his back and force him back to the ground.

"Did you really think you can defeat me? Gallix, the Barbarian King!"

Gallix raised his leg before stomping it back down on Arthas' back, eliciting a pain-filled scream from the Prince. Arthas tried to reach for his sword, Light's Wrath, but Gallix removed his foot from the Prince's back only to crush Arthas' hand as he reached for the weapon.

"You may have beaten my army, my sons and daughters but you are nothing more but a weak ant when you and your pathetic pet foolishly faced me alone. Leaving your men to the mercy of the cold." Gallix knelt down and grabbed Arthas by the hair before forcing the Prince to look at him "And what did you achieve in doing so, hm? Nothing but the little one's death. If she were stronger, I would've made her bear the next generation of my children and feed your flesh to make them strong."

Gallix shoved Arthas' head into the snow and rose to his feet. The Barbarian King raised his demonic sword, prepared to end the Prince's life.

"But I can't wait for another strong woman to bear me sons. Besides, I never liked sharing my meal."

"NO!"

The sword was brought down but as soon as it made contact, Jaina woke up.

~Line Break~

Jaina shot up and frantically looked around her surroundings. She wasn't in the frozen wasteland anymore and she was back in the Governor's Office. She tried to calm her rapidly beating heart before wiping the sweat away.

"Just a... could it be just a dream? But... it felt so... real. A vision?"

She heard a knock on the door and Jaina got up to open it but stopped to make herself look presentable. Satisfied, she opened the door to see Governor Wells.

"Governor? You shouldn't knock, it's your room after all."

"I didn't know if you were asleep, Lady Proudmoore, and I didn't want to wake you."

"It's alright. I was awake anyway. Is there something you need?"

"No but I've been informed that a Dwarven Legion had entered the port and our rapidly taking out or chasing away the werewolves."

"That's great news!"

Indeed it was. Jaina wasn't sure how long they would've lasted if they didn't have reinforcements soon. At least now, they have a chance to see the light of day. Her thoughts then went to the other barracks and the two that volunteered to help them.

"What about Warden Cousland and Hawke? Any news?"

"Ser Cousland has returned with a child he found on the way. Apparently, the Lycans were using her as bait."

"They can do that?" That was a first.

"Sometimes Lycans can be pretty smart. Anyway, Hawke went on her own to complete the task while Ser Cousland returned here to care for the child. I believe he said 'Marion is more than enough to finish the job.' He seemed to have full confidence on her."

"Let's hope it isn't misplaced."

~Line Break~

Marion laughed maniacally as she burned the Lycan in front of her into a crisp. Behind her, half a dozen of werewolves lay dead. Either burnt or frozen or electrocuted. Some even met an unfortunate end by the Staff of Parthalan's bladed end. The buildings were not safe from her wrath either. Flames consumed the buildings that were struck by her magic after a few of the Lycans dodged her spells. Oh well. She'll just blame it on them. Besides, she has a mission to complete. Rally the soldiers and civilians in the barracks and escort them back to the Governor's Office. A few buildings is worth less than their lives, right?

Something wet landed on Marion's nose before another followed. Soon rain began to pour and douse the flames of the burning buildings. The Mage pouted but turned her head when she heard the sounds of marching boots. In the distance, she could see... Dwarves? Heavily-armored Dwarves with large shields and spears. Their helmets were so covered that all you could see were their eyes. The one in the center of the formation wore a more intricate steel armor than the rest and the one on his left carried the standard of the group. A banner that had a steel gauntlet in the center and had two crossed spears in the back. The Dwarves stopped and the one in the center approached her.

"Hail, Magi. I am Head Captain Odrik Stoneshield of the Steelfists. We were sent here by Legion Commander Grimhold Ironfoot of the Ironfoot Legion to help deal with this Lycan threat."

"Nice timing, Head Captain." Marion smirked "The Governor was getting worried. Since you're here, I could use your help."

"And what is that?"

"The Governor wanted me to head over to barrackses all over the Port and gather as many survivors and soldiers as I can then escort them back to her Office. We barely managed to hold them off but the Governor was worried the others might not fare better than we did. With your help, however, it'll make my job easier and less casualties as well."

"Hmm. Alright, lass. We'll help you. It's what we're here for anyway. Just point us to the right direction."

"Good. Follow me."

Odrik nodded before returning to formation with his Legionaries.

"Legionaries, forward march!"

The Steelfists marched after the woman, the hold on their shields and weapons was as tight as their formation. They have already killed at least more than a dozen Lycans before they found the Magi woman. Odrik knew that they couldn't wander aimlessly around a Port they did not know. Lives were on the line. It was lucky they managed to run into the Magi, a rather powerful one at that. If any other Dwarven Legion were sent to help, they might have completely ignored the woman simply because she uses Magic. The Ironfoot Legion was more open minded than that. He knew some Legions refused the aid given to them by their otherworldly kin, the Boomsticks, simply because they saw it as a cowardly weapon. To Odrik, a weapon is a weapon. The only coward here is the one who refuses to use weapons or accept a most generous gift. Bloody crazy the lot of them. Too much red sand in their system.

"Lycans!"

Odrik was shaken from his thoughts and immediately went into action as he saw the Lycans jumping down the buildings and running towards them.

"Phalanx!"

The Legionaries moved to form the Phalanx while Marion narrowed her eyes at the approaching Lycans and readied her staff. She spun the staff in her hands before slamming it on the road, creating a giant wall of flames between them and the werewolves. A few moments later, a Lycan jumped through the wall of flames only to be impaled by the spears of the Dwarven Legionaries. More werewolves did the same and met the same end. Seeing that they're attacks were futile, the Lycans changed their approach.

The werewolves returned to the rooftops and made their way past the flame wall before looking down at the Legionaries then jumping down. One of the Dwarves saw this and alerted their group which prompted them to change formation.

"Spiked Shell Formation!"

The Dwarves gathered and formed a shell similar to a turtle's while having their spears sticking out. The first few Lycans were impaled but more jumped and their combined weight managed to break through the shell. Soon, the two forces were locked in bloody melee. The Dwarves dropped their spears and took out their axes or swords. Some even dropped their shields so they can wield two weapons instead.

Odrik roared as he cut open a Lycan with a slash to it's midsection and let it's guts fall to the ground before punching it's knee with the shield, forcing it to fall on all fours before beheading the creature with his axe. The Head Captain looked around him to see the chaos that surrounded them. More Lycans have arrived and impeeded them from their mission. He did say the night has just begun. They still got a long way to go before the last of the Lycan threat has been eradicated and he wouldn't have it any other way.


	15. Might of Lordaeron Ch 15

**A/N: So yeah... I have no idea why I put up the bonus chapter on this one. Anyways. The Skaven problem will probably, most definitely, stay. I mean come on. How do you expect to defeat them short of bombing the place with a mana bomb or you know Gyrocopter bombs. There's no kill like overkill especially if it comes to the Skaven maybe that's not enough. Who knows. I mean if Ubersreik Five were here... **

* * *

Somewhere in the City of Ur

"Damnit, where the hell's our way out of this city?"

Justinia patted the redhead's back as they traversed the western part of the city. Though not voicing it, she was asking the same thing too. Ever since they left the Gnawed Adventurer on dawn, they've been walking through the city for what felt like hours. The sun was glaring down on them making Valerius and Justinia slightly uncomfortable as their sweat ran down their bodies thanks to their armor making it hotter than it already was. If you ask her, she'd say they were being cooked alive. Maia, on the other hand, just let the morning breeze cool her. Due to her choice of attire, she was the only of the three not swimming in their own sweat.

Meanwhile, Valerius looked around him as he tried to figure out if they were in the right path to the western gate. Honestly, he had no fucking clue as to where they are. He studied the maps, sure, but with everything that had happened. Can you blame him for forgetting a few things from the map of the city? The Captain stopped and motioned for the other two as well.

"Alright, we'll stop here for a bit. Then we... " He looked at the fork on the road and turned to the left "Go that way."

"Do you even know where we're going?" Maia asked as she wiped the sweat off her brow before crossing her arms. She was sick and tired of this godforsaken and rat-infested city. Everywhere they went there were fucking rats there! The whole city is like a fucking nest. Hell, maybe it is. If they ever get out of here, the first thing she was gonna do was take a nice, warm, relaxing bath. Wash away all the blood and guts off her body and places she didn't even knew she had.

"Of course I do." Valerius replied before looking away "Maybe."

"What kind of a prick idiot are you?"

"I don't know. The good kind?" Valerius answered with a shrug before sitting on the ground and resting his back on the wall of a building.

"Uh, guys."

The two looked at the silver haired Knight and saw her pointing at something in the distance. Their eyes travelled to where Justinia was pointing and saw the horde of rats running at them from down the street.

"Fuck!" Maia cursed before unsheathing her sword and dagger.

Valerius quickly jumped to his feet and raised his Hand Cannons. He fired his weapons and struck true, killing some of the Skavenslaves at the front before putting away the Hand Cannon in his right hand and replacing it with his sword. Justinia, who had already drew her Zweihänder, dropped into a stance before swinging widely as the ratmen was close enough. The action managed to take out a group of Skavenslaves. The Knight raised her blade high above her head before bringing it down with enough force to break a Skaven's shield in two before proceeding to run the rat through with her sword. She pulled her blade free without loosing her momentum and swung widely, cutting another Skaven in two. The Knight quickly raised her blade to block a strike from a rusted blade and stared at her opponent. The two locked their swords before Justinia punched the Skaven in the across the face. This made the rat let go of it's weapon as it was sent into a daze. She didn't give it time to revover before cutting it's head off in one swing, the blood spraying from it's headless body adding more blood onto the surface of her armor.

Maia used her agility and swiftness to dodge from her opponents' attacks. While the bulk of the horde focused on trying to overwhelm the other two, some of the Skaven had their attention on her. She lead the group opposing her away from the other two and had enough room on the street to outmaneuver the rats. She parried a strike for her head before kicking the Skaven in the gut. Maia jumped back to avoid a slash to her gut before kicking the attacker's blade away and then stabbing it's forearm. The rat squealed in pain as she twisted with all her might, dislocating the arm in process before jamming her sword straight through the Skaven's skull. She didn't have time to pull the sword out as she bent backwards to avoid a Skaven's swing before grabbing it's arm then pulled down hard. The redhead then proceeded to assault the Skaven with multiple strikes from her elbow while still keeping a firm grasp on it's arm with her left hand. She then reached for another dagger from her belt then plunged it down the Skaven's head. Both threats dead, she let go of the arm and pulled her dagger free from the corpse before moving over to the other dead rat and doing the same to her sword.

Meanwhile, Valerius swung up and cutting the rat in front of him on the chest before pointing his Hand Cannon to it's head and pulled the trigger. The immediate result was the Skaven getting it's head blown off into chunks. If he weren't so surrounded, he would've laughed like a maniac. It was somehow satisfying to see a Skaven's head get blown off into bits of blood and brain matter. His instincts screamed at him and he swung around him just in time to block a sword from splitting his head like a melon. With their blades locked, Valerius quickly kicked back the rat right into other Skaven before shooting it in the chest. One of the rats managed to get a cut on his back but he quickly rectified this by cutting off it's sword arm then it's head.

"Come on, you rat fucks. That all you lot got!?" The Captain taunted even as the horde surrounded him.

On the other end of the battle, Justinia finished off a rat by cutting it in two. One jumped on her back and tried to stab her with a rusted dagger but she grabbed hold of it's forearm before it could plunge it down her chest then flipped the Skaven over. Still holding onto the arm, she raised her boot and crushed the rat's head. Despite the sickening action, she kept the contents of her stomach in before retrieving her sword. Then, she heard the roar. She looked to the source to see a Rat Ogre charging at them with a Skaven on it's back. The rat on it's back laughed maniacally as it held on to the rope around the Rat Ogre's neck with one hand while waving the severed head of a Footman around in the other.

Valerius roared as he finished off a Skaven by bringing down his sword into it's head all the way down to the neck. He had lost count on how many he had killed nor did he notice that Maia was fighting next to him. The redhead just finished slitting a Skaven's throat and kicking it down, watching as it desperately clutched it's profusely bleeding throat tightly. The two heard a roar and saw the Rat Ogre and it's rider running towards them, crushing or backhanding any of the other Skaven in it's way.

Acting quickly, Valerius grabbed a discarded round shield and used it to push his way out of the horde, Maia following behind. They made it out just in time to avoid getting trampled by the large rat. Justinia, however, wasn't so lucky. The Rat Ogre stopped in front of her and roared as it brought it's arms up before slamming it down on the ground. The shockwave of the slam sent her flying back, landing a few feet away on her front. Her sword far from her reach.

The rats moved to swarm her but her prone form but the Rat Ogre backhanded them away or crushed them. It loomed over the fallen Knight and raised it's fists high in the air, intent on crushing the silverette to death. The rat on it's back laughed more intensely, still waving the severed head around like a toy. Before it could kill the Knight, Valerius shot it's rider in the back. The result was a large bloody hole in it's chest. It took a second before the body fell back, mouth agape as it stared blankly into the sky. With the loss of it's rider, the Rat Ogre turned it's attention towards the Captain who stood over dozens and dozens of dead skaven. Behind him, Maia was busy fighting off the remaining Skaven who hadn't turned tail when they saw their numbers were dwindling.

"Come on, you big bastard." Valerius let out a bloodthirsty grin behind his helmet as he stared at the Rat Ogre "Was that your friend? Sorry not sorry."

The Rat Ogre roared before grabbing a large piece of debris and threw it at the Captain. Valerius' grin vanished as he looked at the debris sailing through the air towards him.

"Bugger me."

He rolled out of the debris' way before sheathing his sword and taking out his other Hand Cannon. With two Boomsticks in hand, he began to fire at the charging brute. Despite getting hit, the Rat Ogre ignored the shots and kept to it's charge. The Rat Ogre reached him and, before he could dodge out of the way, grabbed him by the leg and threw him to a wall like a rag doll. Valerius screamed in pain, grabbing the attention of the third member of their group.

Maia severed the head of the last Skaven before hearing Valerius' scream. She turned around to see the Rat Ogre slowly making it's way to the downed Captain before her eyes lay to the unmoving form of Justinia.

"Damn it."

Without hesitation, she rushed the beast with the intent of jumping up it's back and stabbing it in the head multiple times. Maia pulled out her daggers and quickly jumped to the Rat Ogre's back while it was still turned away from her. The redhead buried both blades into it's back before pulling out her other dagger to repeatedly stab it in the head while holding on to one of the daggers to keep herself from getting thrown off the Rat Ogre as it tried to shake her off. She then noticed this was the same Rat Ogre they encountered from before.

"Round two, bitch!"

Valerius groaned in pain as he sat himself against the wall, clutching the arm that slammed into the wall. He didn't need a healer to tell him his shoulder was dislocated. Grabbing one of his Hand Cannons, he raised it with a shaking hand before willing himself to steady his remaining arm and pulled the trigger. He still had to thank Sarah for giving him these enchanted Hand Cannons. No need to reload after all. His shots hit their mark but the beast ignored it in favor of trying to shake off Maia. He took a moment to look at to where he last saw Justinia only to see her gone. Even her sword.

So distracted was the beast that it didn't notice the Knight running towards it. It only noticed the Knight when she buried her whole blade into it's chest. The Rat Ogre roared in pain before trying to backhand the Knight but Justinia jumped back to avoid it. She quickly grabbed two rusted swords and buried them all the way to the hilt on the Rat Ogre's abdomen. Dodging it's attacks, she grabbed more swords and did the same but this time, she buried them on the beast's back. The Knight grabbed whatever weapon she can find and buried it in the beast on whatever places she could stuck it in.

Meanwhile, Maia managed to stab the beast in it's eye and left the dagger sticking out of the eye socket. She then used another dagger to stab it in the remaining eye. The beast roared in pain before finally managing to throw the redhead off of it's back. Maia landed painfully on her back before getting back up. She looked back at the Rat Ogre to see it swinging it's arms around trying to hit anything.

'Good luck doing that with no eyes, pal.'

Unsheathing her sword, she ran towards the Rat Ogre and dodged it's random attacks before cutting it behind the legs. From his spot, Valerius shot the Rat Ogre in it's other leg. This caused the beast to drop to it's knees with it's arms falling to it's sides. Justinia saw this and made her way over to the beast. Grabbing the handle of her Zweihänder, she twisted back and forth before slowly pulling it out then suddenly wrenching it free. The Rat Ogre fell on all fours, breathing heavily as it's wounds bled and soaked the very ground it was on. Justinia walked over to it's side before raising her blade high into the air. With a roar, she brought it down hard. The head fell along with the body, dead at last.

Maia let out a tired sigh of relief before retrieving her weapons from the beast's corpse. She looked over to Valerius and saw him unmoving against the wall with his head down. The redhead quickly ran towards the Captain and wrenched off his helmet. She saw that he was still breathing but only softly. Maia then saw his shoulder and knew it was dislocated. She looked up to Justinia and motioned her head at the Captain's dislocated shoulder. The Knight nodded and crouched down while the redhead steadied the unconscious Captain. The two silently nodded before Justinia snapped the shoulder back into place. The result was immediate.

"BLOODY FUCKING HELL!"

~Line Break~

"BLOODY FUCKING HELL!"

Sylvanas' ear twitched as she heard the yell from atop the wall. She was making her rounds on the west entrance when she heard the scream.

'At least we know they're on the right side of the city.'

The Ranger-General looked to Sergeant Andrew.

"Set up a perimeter around the entrance. They're bound to be there before night falls."

"Yes, milady!"

Sylvanas watched the Footman leave before setting her sights back to the ravaged city. There must be away to cleanse this city of the Skaven. Until the majority of their army returned from Kühlschrank, all they could do was contain the infestation in Ur but for how long? They could call on the Seven Shields but even after nearly a year since sending the Black Dogs running with their tails between their legs, they still had much to take care of. Traitors, spies, internal conflicts, new reforms and politics. There was also the pirate threat and those from the other worlds. They weren't the only ones sent here after all. Who knows what those beams of light might spit out next? The Undead? A demon king and his legion of demons? A book about the dead? Hell, maybe even beings from the stars. She'll be damned before they ask the Orcs for help. They may have a Non-aggression Pact but that doesn't mean they were wanted anywhere near their borders, no matter what that Shrine Maiden says.

"My Lady, the soldiers have finished setting up the perimeter. What else do you command, Ranger-General?"

"Double the number of Rangers here. If the Captain and his company do get here, we'll try and keep the rats off their back. There's no telling how many would be after them."

The Ranger bowed her head before leaving. Sylvanas took out an arrow from her quiver and nocked an arrow before slightly raising her aim then let loose. The arrow sailed through the air and struck a Skaven that was on top of a bell tower in the head. Her lips twitched into a small smirk as she watched the body fall into the streets below. Not bad but she could do better.

~Line Break~

Valerius breathed heavily as he clutched his arm with an iron grip. Bloody bints couldn't have given him a warning? Well, he couldn't really blame them. After all, they did just realigned his shoulder back into place while he was drifting off to dream about a naked Half-elf Paladin and a scarlet haired Bounty Hunter helping him with his more primal needs. It was a damn good dream.

The two slowly helped him up to his feet and Maia handed him his Hand Cannon. He nodded his thanks and clipped it back to his belt before bending down and picking up his second Hand Cannon. With one arm disabled for now, he was stuck using a Hand Cannon. He gripped the weapon tightly before turning to the other two.

"Any of you hurt bad?"

"It hurts when I breathe but I'll be fine for now." Justinia answered.

"Other than my back and sore muscles, I'm fine." Maia said as she stopped looking around them for any sign of the rats.

"Good. Then let's get the fuck out of here."

"Couldn't agree more."

"I second the notion."

"Hey, look at this."

Maia bent down and picked up a shiny gold lamp. It was rather light for something that looked like it was made from gold. In fact, it was so light it was like the thing wasn't even made of gold. Probably not really. But maybe she could give this to Prim. Little miss pinky always loved shiny things.

Without another word, the three left the street and back into their path. Luckily for them, getting slammed around by that Rat Ogre managed to jog Valerius' memory and the Captain led them to the path of their escape. The two thanked the Goddess while Valerius thanked the Light and his damn brain. Thirty eight and he was already feeling like he was too old for this crap.

After walking for what seemed like a long time, the trio finally saw the group of Footmen by the wall. Letting out a smile, Valerius led the two into their allies. One of the Footmen, Sergeant Andrew, saw them and immediately ran to their side. Calling for a Physician or Priest or just any damn healer they had.

"Captain. Thank the Light you're alive. The men were thinking you might have been rat crap by now." He then faced the two women "My Lady. Fair Knight. The Seven Shields were getting worried about you. One day more and they would've sent someone to look for you in the city. But what are we still doing here? Come on, let's you get you out of this shithole. Maybe get you three a nice bath back at the Capital. I should inform you that Ranger-General Sylvanas had been assigned to take quarantine off your hands. She'll be the one ordering us from now on."

"Can't say I'll miss this fucking city." Maia sighed out as they made their way out of the west gate. They were rushed to a tent where they were lain down onto beds as Physicians looked them over before a Priest came to heal them with the Light. Hopefully. The Priest assigned to them was just an apprentice. The real Priest was busy inside an outhouse. Apparently, food poisoning was not something the Light could heal.

From her position across Maia, Justinia could see the glint in the redhead's eyes as she looked over at the Priest Apprentice. Scowling, she gave the woman a hard glare that was enough for Maia to notice.

"Don't even think about it." Justinia warned "He's just a boy. Barely in his twenties. You'll break him."

"What? Are you jealous?"

"No. But I do pity him. You're choice of partners are soldiers and wenches. I would not have you adding Priest Apprentice into that long list of yours."

"Maybe I could share him with you? Would you like that?"

The two women glared at each other for what seemed like forever before bursting into laughter. Valerius and the young Priest Apprentice, Hugh, raised their brow at the sight before Hugh went back to healing the Captain's shoulder. Said Captain shook his head and let the Priest Apprentice do his work.

"Women."

When their wounds where healed and they were given a new set of clothing after they were unceremoniously doused with buckets of cold water, he swore Sylvanas was among the people that did that, they were sent off to the next carriage out of Ur and into the Capital. To Maia, she was excited to visit the Capital once more. After putting her little spat with the Dwarven duo, Bhog and Shorty about her choice of armor, she became a frequent customer to the two. Buying sets of sturdy and deadly weapons from their Workshop. Justinia, on the other hand, had never been to the Capital and was excited to see it. Meanwhile, Valerius was looking out the window of the carriage and wonder if Joan was in the Capital.

~Line Break~

Western Forests of Kühlschrank

"See anything?"

"Nothing. Blizzard is too thick. I can't see a damn thing."

"Oi, watch your step. There's a bump on the path."

"What are you talking abou- "

The Footman yelped as he fell down into the snowy ground. He wasn't hurt but he did look back at what caused his fall and gasped as he saw the dead Grell staring at him, mouth agape. Two other Footmen pulled him to his feet and they stared at the frostbitten corpse on the ground.

"Guess the cold doesn't discriminate us from them." One Footman joked.

The Sergeant leading them, however, was looking around them suspiciously. Several lumps on the snow were surrounding them. He kicked one over and revealed another dead barbarian but this one was missing an arm. Torn off by an animal it seems. He ordered the rest of his troop to check the bodies and were disgusted at what they saw. Almost all of them were eaten at some point. Limbs were torn. Some didn't even have heads anymore. Crushed by something heavy if they had to guess. The Sergeant felt something fall onto his shoulder and looked up at the trees. He raised his torch and narrowed his eyes. Something moved but before he could voice it out, a large thing fell on him.

The Footmen drew back as a beast as tall as an Orc with long, muscular arms with claw-tipped fingers and a large mouth filled with rows of jagged teeth. It's head looked like that of an ape but the most distinguishing feature about it was the third eye on it's forehead. The beast roared and beat it's chest before grabbing the struggling Sergeant's arm and ripping it off in one mighty pull. It raised it's foot and brought it down the Footman's head, crushing it and staining the white ground red with blood.

"Kill the big bastard!" A Footman screamed as he charged the beast.

The Frost Troll roared and slammed it's fists into the ground, throwing the charging Footman back with the shockwave of it's attack and slamming the soldier into a tree. The others charged and stabbed or cut the beast. Despite cutting and wounding it, the beast simply shrugs off their attacks. It enclosed it's massive hand around a Footman's head in lifted him off the ground. His comrades tried to free him but it was in vain as the Frost Troll crushed the man's head then threw his body away. The beast backhanded another Footman who was sent flying, helmet gone. The Footman landed on a rock, the back of his neck striking the edge of it. The body fell down and stared blankly at the Frost Troll as it grabbed a Footman's arms and ripped it from his body, painting the ground red with his blood.

As the beast tore through the Footmen, the rest of the company was keeping themselves warm around the large bonfire they made in the center of their camp. Even with their armor and thick fur coats, the blizzards of Kühlschrank was colder than cold. Some of the men were already getting frostbite. One even broke off his big toe. None laughed because they knew that might happen to them. Unaware of the slaughter of one of their patrol groups with the winds blocking out the sounds of their screams. The company of soldiers were unaware that they had camped too close to Frost Troll territory. Right into their hunting grounds. Not even the Grells they were hunting knew this was Frost Troll territory. They were too busy looking for some place safe from their pursuers, unknowingly entering a beast's lair. Their screams too went unheard as the den of Frost Trolls and their young mauled and feasted on their flesh.

~Line Break~

Fort Lightbringer, Kühlschrank

Arthas sighed as he read the very detailed report in his hand while massaging his temple. Half a company of Footmen lost in the western region. Lost to the cold and the beasts called Frost Trolls. The only good thing about it was that the Grells they were hunting were dead as well. Killed when they stumbled across the beasts' den. No more settlement or supply raids in that region. For now at least.

"This country is a damn nightmare." The Prince muttered as he handed the report back to the messenger.

The Conquest of Kühlschrank has claimed the lives of many of their soldiers than their war with the Dogs. He was starting to doubt if the country was worth it but he immediately banishd such thoughts from his mind. He will not let the deaths of their soldiers be in vain. They have come this far. They can't give up now.

"Arthas!"

The door to his office was kicked open and Brünnhilde barged in, Alicia's bleeding and unconscious form cradled in her arms. The Prince quickly jumped out of his seat and rushed to the two. He looked over her wounds and before casting Holy Light upon the wounded blonde. The Chieftain gently lay the girl down on the sofa before facing the worried Prince.

"Gallix's men ambushed us on our way here. They killed almost all of the escorts before wounding the girl. Your friend, Falric, stayed behind to buy us time to escape. Last I saw, they dragged him back to the forest. They might be bringing him to their camp. For what? I cannot say." Brünnhilde reported before sighing and taking a seat on the ground, leaning against the sofa.

"Damnit." Arthas cursed before kneeling down and brushing aside strands of hair on Alicia's face. The young Princess Knight slowly opened her eyes and looked at Arthas, grabbing his hand.

"P-Please... save... him."

Her eyes shut and her breathing evened out. Once more, sleep overtook the young blonde with Arthas looking down at her.

"Can you track them?" The Prince asked in a whisper. His gaze turning blank as he stared at Alicia's unconscious body.

"Perhaps. If we go now, the trail might not have gone cold yet. Let's hope the blizzard hasn't reached that part of the country yet." Brünnhilde groaned as she stood up, still feeling the pain from her wounds. Suddenly, a golden light shined down on her and all her wounds were healed. She looked to the Prince who was already retrieving his weapons from the side, Light's Wrath and Light's Vengeance. The Greatsword was secured in a large sheathe on his back while he held the Maul in his hands. A grim scowl set itself in the Prince's features as he stared back at the Chieftain.

"Then we leave at once."

~Line Break~

Grellian Camp

Stripped into nothing but his trousers and boots, Falric was thrown into the ground. Gallix's Grells forming a ring around him, cursing and spittingat the Captain as he slowly rose to his feet. Falric didn't know how long they dragged him across who knows where but he did know that this was their camp. A raiding party judging by the crates with the seal of Lordaeron painted on it. Suddenly, his sword and shield were thrown in front of him and the Captain glared at the barbarian who threw them. The barbarian had an arrogant look on his face as he motioned for the weapons. He didn't need the barbarian to talk to know what he wanted. Despite his wounds from the earlier fight, he knelt down and picked up his weapons rising to his feet and into a battle stance. He slammed his blade on the edge of his shield as a taunt to the barbarian. Falric realized the barbarians around him wielded swords and shields as well.

A random barbarian roared as he charged the Captain and swung his sword down. Falric dodged under the swing before turning to his attacker. The barbarian charged him again but he was waiting for it. As soon as the Grell got close, Falric stabbed the hairy bastard in the gut. The barbarian's mouth was agape as he looked at Falric in shock before his body slowly slid off the Captain's blade. Falric stared at the body as the barbarian let out his last gasps of air before stilling.

A second barbarian ran behind Falric and slashed him across the back. The Captain roared in pain as he fell to the ground on his side. He raised his shield to block his attacker's strike but couldn't stop the kick the barbarian sent to his torso. Falric rolled twice from the kick before swinging upwards, slicing the barbarian right in the middle. He fell to his knees with on hand clutching his wound as Falric rose to his feet. With the last of his strength, the barbarian let out a defiant roar as he tried to get in one last attack but the Captain stabbed him in the throat. Cutting the barbarian off mid-roar.

With a grunt, Falric pulled his blade free and turned around just in time to stab the barbarian that was running towards him with his sword raised in the air. The blade went through the man's forearm and Falric then stabbed the barbarian in the gut while the sword was still in the screaming man's forearm. The Captain pulled the weapon free and was slightly surprised the man was still alive. He punched him across the face with the shield before thrusting his blade into the man's throat then pulled it out. The blood spilling from the wound sprayed the Captain's body. Adding more to his already blood drenched skin.

The Captain turned around and raised his shield to block a fourth barbarian's strike but the force of the attack staggered him and he fell to the ground. The barbarian continued his assault and kicked Falric in the abdomen, throwing him on his back to the ground. He moved closer to the downed Captain and raised his scimitar to deal a killing blow but Falric acted quickly and thrusted his sword all the way to the hilt on the barbarian's abdomen. The man dropped his sword as Falric slowly rose to his feet. Falric struggled to pull the blade free before slamming his shield hard on the barbarian, pushing the man's body off his blade.

A fifth barbarian charged him and he parried the blow before bashing his shoulder on the man's chest, pushing him back a bit. Falric then turned to his left to block a sixth barbarian's strike and followed it up with a slash across the man's torso. The Captain's instincts screamed at him to duck and so he did, letting the barbarian from before miss his head and instead slash the other barbarian in the abdomen. Falric quickly elbowed the remaining barbarian in the gut before rising to his feet and swinging widely, cutting off the man's head.

With his back turned, a seventh barbarian managed to stab him in the back. Despite the pain, Falric pushed himself off the blade and turned around to face his attacker. The barbarian moved to stab him in the midsection but Falric parried the attack and used his shield to punch the man the shin, forcing the barbarian on one knee. Then the Captain sent a powerful shield bash across the barbarian's face, sending his opponent face first into the ground. He tried to rise up but Falric slammed his shield on the man's back and kept him from rising before using his sword to slit the barbarian's throat.

Breathing heavily from exhaustion and his wounds, he stood up and raised his sword slightly upwards to the right and let the barbarian run himself through to Falric's weapon. The Captain kicked the body off his blade before facing the two barbarians that walked towards him. The one on his left tried to stab him but he redirected the blow and cut off the barbarian's arm below the elbow before turning his sword on the barbarian on the right and swinging down, cutting her down the shoulder. He then ducked from the first one's swing before cutting off his head. He faced the female barbarian and the two swung their blades. He went high with the intent to sever her head while the barbarian went low to cut him across the abdomen. Her blow connected first and the Captain fell down on one knee in pain but he pushed through it to block her second attack then punching his shield on her leg to force her on one knee as well. He quickly stabbed her on the throat before shakily rose to his feet and let the body limp before kicking it away.

Two more barbarians walked up to him and the one on his right charged. Falric raised his sword to let the man impale himself but the barbarian stopped a few inches short and backed away. The one on his left moved to strike but Falric was faster and cut him across the throat, letting the man fall to the ground as he desperately clutched his severely bleeding throat. This gave the one on the right the opportunity he needed and stabbed Falric on the gut, blade buried to the hilt. The barbarian looked to Falric's face, expecting an expression of pain but instead, he got an expression that was filled with rage. Still gripping his sword tightly, Falric punched the man on the face again and again until the barbarian fell to his knees. Even so, the Captain kept punching even as the barbarian's grip on the sword still held. With one final punch that actually killed the man, the barbarian fell to the ground dead but the action resulted in the sword in Falric's abdomen getting pulled painfully until it was off.

Breathing heavily, he stared at the remaining barbarians around him.

"Come on! Who's next? Who's next?"

Before anyone could reply, a spear impaled one of the barbarians in the throat before the sound of thundering hooves boomed from behind the trees. Suddenly, Knights and Brünnhilde's Grells on horseback charged from behind the trees and trampled any of the barbarians in their path. A rider stopped behind Falric, shadowing over the Captain. Falric turned around and saw Prince Arthas looking down on him. Light's Vengeance in one hand.

The Prince jumped down from his steed, Unyielding, and placed a hand on Falric's shoulder. Arthas closed his eyes before Light shined down on Falric. The Captain looked down on his wounds and saw that they were fully healed. He moved to join the fight but Arthas' firm grip on his shoulder stopped him.

"Not this time, Falric. You need to rest. That's an order."

Falric spared the battle one more look before nodding.

"As you wish, my Lord."

The Prince smiled before whistling to the side. Brünnhilde rode her horse next to a brown one before stopping close to Arthas. Arthas grabbed the reigns of the riderless horse and handed them to Falric.

"Take this horse and follow Brünnhilde. The two of you will return to Fort Lightbringer."

"What about you, my Lord?"

Arthas didn't answer as he turned around to face the battle. The grip on Light's Vengeance tightened as he stared at Gallix's Grells.

"They will pay, my friend. By my hand." He took Light's Wrath from his back and let the tip of the Greatsword touch the ground "They will pay with blood."

The Prince roared as he charged the closest barbarian. His body glowed with the Light and those who tried to attack him only had their weapons bounce off of Arthas. With one mighty swing from his Greatsword, he bisected three barbarians before raising his Maul into the air then slammed it down hard on the ground. The shockwave knocked the ones surrounding him back. Those who weren't caught, however, foolishly ran towards the Prince with their swords raised. Arthas readied himself as the barbarians charged him. He buried Light's Wrath on the ground before gripping Light's Vengeance with both hands.

"For Lordaeron!"

~Line Break~

Brünnhilde watched in awe as the Prince showed his prowess in battle. His body had stopped glowing yet Gallix's fools still couldn't land a hit on him. Every time they tried to always ended up in their deaths. Cut in two by his Greatsword or crushed by his Warhammer. Seeing the chaos around her got her blood pumping and she turned to Olaf.

"Take the Captain back to the Fort. I think I'll go help the Prince."

"But- "

"Just do it, Hofferson."

With a resigned sigh, he led the Captain back to the road. Brünnhilde watched them go before dismounting from her horse and readied her Long Axe. A bloodthirsty grin found itself on her face as Gallix's Grells tried to attack her. The first one to get close quickly had his head split in two and the second one was punched in the gut before Brünnhilde put him in a headlock then broke his neck. She threw the corpse away and stumbled forward when one of the Grells managed to slash the Stormwolf Chieftain in the back.

Brünnhilde turned around to face her attacker before kneeing her in the groin. The woman fell down and Brünnhilde quickly executed her with one chop down the neck. Another tried to attack her but stopped him in his tracks with a simple headbutt.

The Stormwolf Chieftain laughed before shrugging off her fur coat, leaving her in her pants, boots, bracers, armbands and chest bindings. The myriad of tattoos across her muscular body mixed with the scars she earned through battle gave her a fearsome look in the eyes of the Footmen and Grells alike around her. Brünnhilde roared as she swung widely at the three Grells that charged her, cutting them across the abdomen and spilling their guts on the ground.

"Yes! Hahahaha! Come at me, Frostborn. Face the might of the Stormwolf Clan! RRAAGHH!"

* * *

**~Bonus Chapter~**

Port Haven, Eostia

Marion smiled at her work as the soldiers left the vicinity to escort their ward with the help of the Steelfists. The barracks where they held up a defense against the Lycans burned with the raven haired mage watching it all. She had lured the werewolves inside the barracks before sealing them in then setting off the nearby barrels of oil on fire as well as the whole building. Though some managed to escape, it was short lived as Marion sent either a Fireball or a Lightning Bolt into the hairy bastards that tried to get away. This was the most fun she had with Fire Magic. In the back of her mind, she was wondering if she had become a pyromaniac after tonight but quickly shook such thoughts away as she turned around and held out her fingers, sending a bolt of lightning into a Lycan that was running towards her. The werewolf was struck square in the chest and was pushed back into a building, leaving large cracks on the wall.

"Ha! Too easy."

Something large dropped behind her and her side was struck hard. She was suddenly sent flying and slammed into a cart, breaking it in the process. Marion groaned in pain as she gathered her bearings and saw her attacker was a large Lycan. An Alpha. It howled before dropping on all fours and ran towards her. She tried to find her staff and saw it was far from her reach.

"Shit!"

The Mage cursed before closing her eyes and bracing herself for the world of hurt the Lycan will give to her but it would never come. Someone ran past her and met the beast head on. She heard him let out a roar before hearing the sound of flesh tearing. Marion opened her eyes to see the bisected Alpha in front of her and the familiar large form of Aedan standing a few feet away. The Grey Warden sheathed his Greatsword before turning around to face his companion. His helmet was gone and the blood on his armor had dried out as well. She looked into his deep brown eyes and saw concern in them. Without so much as looking around him for anymore threats, the large man ran towards her before holding out his hand for her to take.

"Are you alright? Anything broken?"

She didn't answer but simply took his offered hand and let him help her up. Marion then gazed up at him.

"I thought you would've stayed there and kept an eye on the girl. Why are you here?"

"I know you can take care of yourself but... little Eleanor wasn't so easily reassured." Aedan answered "You did help save her after all. Besides, I couldn't leave my partner alone even if she was having fun."

"Eh." Marion shrugged "It was getting boring anyway. I've had my share of fun for tonight anway."

Without another word, she walked over to pick up her fallen staff. Deliberately, she slowly bent down rather than crouch to retrieve her weapon thus giving Aedan quite the view of her backside. It helped that her leather trousers were tight. Said Warden went red in the face bit couldn't look away until the Mage turned around and made her way back to him. She chuckled at the sight of his face before bumping him with her hip and giving him a wink.

"Saw something you like, didn't you?"

"I... uh... I-I... w-what?"

Marion laughed before settling on a genuine smile. She squeezed his arm and nodded her head down the road. Aedan managed to control his blushing to a faint pink hue before nodding back. Together, the two made their way back to the Governor's Office building. Away from the burning buildings. Fortunately, they didn't have to worry about it spreading as rain began to pour down the Port. Unfortunately, by the time they got back, they were soaked to the bone. Marion hated the rain. Aedan, not so much. He simply stated that it would help clean off the dry blood on his armor. So this resulted in Marion getting a, new set of dry clothing while she let her own clothing dry out.

Governor Wells, however, was kind enough to offer them one of the last unoccupied rooms in the building. So after a quick bath in the rain and, getting dressed in the rather simple clothing that consisted of a white shirt with sleeeves too long for her and brown trouser pants. A knock came from the door and Aedan's voice soon followed.

"Marion, are you decent?"

"Go right ahead."

Aedan opened the door and entered the room, clad in a shirt that clung to his muscular frame with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It was actually one of the guest rooms of the Governor's Office/House. A small room with one bed, a table and a chair, a cabinet and a vanity beside the bed. Marion sat on mattress as Aedan observed the room.

"Hm. Like my room back in Castle Cousland." The Warden began before looking at Marion "Just put in a bigger bed, a chest for my weapons, an armor stand and- "

"A harem of young virgins?" Marion cut in with teasing smile before shaking her head "Oh wait. Your too chaste for such things."

"Really? I knew I never should've told you about my sex life."

"More like your lack of sex life."

"What about you? We talk about the lack of mine but what about yours?"

"I've slept with a boy back when I was sixteen then Isabela. No strings attached of course." Marion shook her head "Maker, that woman had a dagger hidden somewhere on her person every time we met. One poked me hard enough that I bled. Didn't stop the night though."

Aedan sighed and leaned on a wall with a small grin.

"Of course it's Isabela. Back in the Fifth Blight, I went to fetch my sister from The Pearl and found her entering one of the brothel's room with our companion, Zevran, and Isabela. Of course as soon as Isabela saw me, she asked if I wanted to join in." Aedan chuckled at the memory "Seeing she just offered me to sleep with my own sister, comrade and a total stranger, at the time, I bolted out of there faster than a Dalish Arrow."

Marion laughed out loud and slapped her thigh after the Warden finished. Normally, he would complain and ask her to stop, like he did when Fergus heard the story or Leliana and Morrigan or Oghre, but with Marion? He loved hearing her laugh even if he was the butt of the joke. So Aedan simply smiled and let the raven haired beauty go on with her little laugh fest. Meanwhile, Marion finished and wiped an imaginary tear from her eye before noticing Aedan simply smiling and watching her.

"See something you like, Aed? Maybe you like to see what's underneath the shirt instead?"

"Maybe I do."

Marion froze, as did Aedan. Normal routine would have him deny it and get all flustered about it while she would laugh at him before the Warden would laugh as well. But this one was new. He never said anything like that before. She was struck speechless.

Aedan was at a loss as well. He didn't know what came over him but there was always something burning inside him for months now and it finally decided to burst free. Like a man possessed, Aedan got off the wall and walked over to the bed. Marion stood up and the two were inches apart. The Warden brought a hand to her cheek and Marion leaned into the touch as the two's eyes met. Slowly, Aedan leaned in and enveloped the Mage's lips with his own. It was sweet at first. Aedan didn't really know what he was doing. Hell, this was his third kiss on the lips in his lifetime.

The first was Bella from Redcliffe after they saved the town from the Undead. Lloyd died and the tavern went to her. She thanked him for saving the town before suddenly jumping on him and kissing him with enough fervor that he thought he almost passed out. The second kiss was from Zevran. He and his sister made a bet about something he couldn't quite remember then he lost. His punishment? Have Zevran sleep with him. Thankfully, his friend granted him mercy and only kissed him but not without making it steamy of course.

Now here he was, his third kiss and it felt... good. Felt right. Then things started to get a little heated. Marion's tongue licked his teeth and Aedan opened his mouth before letting their tongues intertwine. They broke off for a bit as he hastily took off his shirt while Marion quickly unbuckled her belt and pulled down her pants before jumping on to him, wrapping her arms tightly around him and letting their lips meet once more. Aedan brought her back against the wall as he lowered his pants and drawers with one hand while still keeping a hold of her leg with the other.

When his hard cock touched her womanhood, he realized she wasn't wearing any underwear. He broke the kiss and looked at her. A silent conversation passed between the two before he entered, eliciting a loud moan from Marion but not without making him groan in pleasure from the tightness of her inner walls. Well, it was safe to say he's a virgin no more!

Somewhere in Thedas, specifically Amaranthine, Elissa stopped reading the reports in her hand and froze. While in Castle Denerim, Fergus froze and stopped listening to King Alistair as he talked about a new holiday concerning cheese while Queen Anora lovingly, with a slight hint of amusement, watched her husband rant on. Simultaneously, even on two different areas of the country, the siblings smiled and looked out the window of the respective building they were in.

"Well done, brother."

Back in Eostia, Aedan thrust deep into Marion's womb as the raven haired Mage bit into his neck with the Warden doing the same to muffle the sounds of their pleasure. Suddenly, Marion pushed off of him and, in a husky voice, said.

"Bed. Now."

The Warden nodded silently and pulled out. Marion hopped on the bed and dropped on all fours on the mattress. Aedan knelt down behind her and quickly entered her once more. Each thrust brought Aedan closer to the edge as did Marion but the two stopped themselves from finishing right then and there. Suddenly, Aedan's thrust slowed but went harder to the point Marion's arms gave out and her head fell into the pillow. Soon, her legs followed but the Warden kept his pace no matter how much he wanted to finish.

Without warning, he pulled out and turned Marion over so she could face him. Seeing her sweat ridden face and the lustful expression she gave him made the Warden quickly enter her once more but rather than move his hips, he turned them over until she was on top.

"Your turn."

"Gladly."

Marion started moving her hips slowly at first before picking up the pace. She rested her hands on Aedan's broad and slightly hairy chest to steady herself as her hips thrust forward, giving the Warden an insurmountable amount of pleasure. For how long she had ridden, she couldn't say nor could he. Their minds were boggled as their more primal urges took over. Aedan sat up and pulled Marion into a kiss once more to which the Mage happily complied. Her pace quickened and her walls tightened around him to the point he could no longer hold it in.

"Marion... Maker... Marion I'm gonna- "

"Aedan!"

Her walls tightened and her orgasm came, causing Aedan to let out a groan of pure pleasure before releasing his seed inside her. The two fell back on the bed, holding onto each other as the high of their moment mellowed down. Sweat ran down their bodies and Marion's shirt, now wet, clung to her form and letting Aedan see the two hard protrusions on her breasts. But even so, he averted his eyes to look at Marion's half-lidded ones. She smiled at him, a genuine one. Not one of mocking nor teasing but one filled with, dare he say, love. Love? Did that mean...

As if reading his mind, she leaned and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips to which she pulled back before he could return it.

"I love you." Marion began. Soft as a whisper "Halfway through our journey, I started seeing you in a different light. Not the one bards sing about in their stories when I was on the run. But the real you. The broken pillar of his siblings who would cast aside his own hurt to keep his brother and sister from falling. The Warden who went out of his way to spare the life of the man who betrayed the Kingdom and his order but even when he end those who truly were past redemption, he still feels a small amount of regret. The simple man who would do anything to help a person. To the highest form of Nobility to the lowest of the low. And the bloody bastard who took my heart."

"Marion."

"Let me finish. When the time came for us to depart I... I stayed with you because... after in the months we've spent together, you became a constant in my life. I've been on the run ever since what happened to Kirkwall and I've been alone ever since, even when I arrived in this place. I got used to it but when you came and we started going on our own adventures, I couldn't bear the thought of not seeing you again. So I stayed. When you decided to settle down here, I thought maybe we could start something new but I..." Marion stopped and laughed at herself.

"I've faced down Darkspawn, Templars, Blood Mages, Undead, Monsters and the like and I never feared any of them. But telling you how I feel scared me the most. I was afraid you would reject me and leave. I mean look at me. I'm brash, foul-mouthed, pyromaniac, and get us into more trouble than we should be. So I never said anything. The soft touches, the silent looks, the closeness. It was enough for me."

Aedan kissed her forehead before looking at her in the eye.

"When you put it like that, our situation sounds like it's something out of a romance novel." Aedan joked before smiling "I felt the same but couldn't voice it in fear of you leaving me as well... and amongst other things."

"What do you mean?"

Aedan looked her in the eyes and Marion could see that he really didn't want to tell her but he did anyway.

"They said that if you are tainted, becoming a Grey Warden will save you from turning. It's a lie. You know it don't you?"

"I knew it but I never voiced it. I can tell when someone's lying to me but I don't know what the Warden lied about."

Aedan sighed.

"Becoming a Warden doesn't cure you from the taint. It only prolongs it. Thirty years mostly. Then... we hear the Calling. The same calling the Darkspawn hear from the Archdemon. So by the end of our rope, we would go to the Deep Roads to face and honorable end rather than end up becoming a husk of who we were and kill all those we held dear." He looked at her in the eyes and he could feel the tears forming but he kept it at bay.

"I don't want to love because when my time comes, I'll only hurt them in the end. I didn't want that. They deserve better so I refused to be closer to anyone even if it means there will be no chance of a life past the Wardens for me. But you... I thought about what you told me. About doing everything in the moment because it could be your last. So I decided to let you in but... I was still afraid of what comes next. Until now."

He leaned in and let their foreheads touch. Silence fell upon the two and not even the fighting in the distance disturbed them. Marion pulled away so she could envelope him in a kiss to which he returned. After a few moments, their lips parted and the Mage was the first to speak.

"I love you. Even with all this Calling shit, I still love you. In the end, I maybe hurt if you are gone but I can accept that if it means a life with you." Marion shook her head before looking back at Aedan "Maker, I was never this sappy before. I was always full of snark, witty comments and jokes. You're making me soft, Aedan."

She leaned close to his ear and whispered "And I like it."

The Mage smirked when she felt him harden inside her.

"And I make you hard."

Aedan simply smiled lovingly and sheepishly before leaning over and enveloping her in a kiss that soon became heated. Even in this dreadful night, the two went on for another round of lovemaking. Not a care in the world.


	16. Might of Lordaeron Ch 16

"Arthas."

Said Prince turned away from glaring at the Barbarian King in the distance to face Alicia as she rode up next to him. The Princess Knight narrowed her eyes at the barbarian and grimaced at seeing the Barbarian King.

"So this is him?"

"It is."

In the distance, their adversary returned the glare as he walked to the front of his army of filthy savages. A large, muscular man, built like an Orc, with skin nearly white as snow and a myriad of red markings running across his body all the way to his arms. Despite the cold winter wind raging around them, the barbarian wore less than the other barbarians around him. His head was covered by a skull of some horned beast and in his right hand was a large axe while a demonic looking sword was held in his left. Just by looking at it, Alicia could feel the power emanating from the weapon. This man, no, monster is Gallix, the Barbarian King. Surrounding the barbarian king was thousands of Grells of the Frostborn and other tribes who had decided to stay loyal to him. Alicia noticed something different about the Frostborn. They were different than the others because their eyes glow blue while their bodies were paler than a corpse. She didn't remember Braun looking like that when they defeated him in Blüdreik Field nor any of his brothers they killed on their way here.

"You dare bring the heads of my sons to my home? I will enjoy peeling the skin off of your fucking head, Lordaeronian!"

Their time in Kühlschrank had changed them. Changed Arthas. Outposts all over the regions were attacked by the Frostborn and only gruesome carnage was left in their wake. Good soldiers dead or consumed. Innocent Grellians under the Alliance's protection slaughtered. Menn, Women and Children. None were spared. After that, something within the Prince cried to be released. Retribution.

Arthas had enough of the Frostborn and made sure to make a statement for every skirmish the Alliance won against them. The dead barbarians were hung or impaled and left outside of forts or battlefields as food for the crows and warnings for Gallix and his ilk. When the time came for Arthas to confront Gallix once and for all, he mustered a force of six thousand Alliance soldiers. An additional three thousand came from Eostia per his request along with seven hundred Auxiliaries from the Seven Shields Alliance. On their way to Dauðafjöll, they encountered seven sons of Gallix who tried to stop them from advancing further to their father's kingdom. Each met their end in the form of Arthas' sword, Light's Wrath. And Arthas couldn't deny the satisfaction he felt as he watched their heads roll off their shoulders and into the ground.

By the time they reached Dauðafjöll, Gallix and his army were there waiting for them. Then Arthas gave him a gift in the form of the heads of Gallix's sons. An act that evidently enraged the barbarian king.

"No more words from you, barbarian!" Arthas replied before raising his sword above his head "Death to the Barbarian King!"

"DEATH TO THE BARBARIAN KING!!"

The soldiers of the Alliance, at the top of their lungs, yelled before Arthas lowered hi sword so it was pointing at Gallix and his army.

"Charge!"

The Prince spurned his steed forward and led the charge. Alicia and her Knights following soon after, forming a flying wedge with Arthas at the tip while the rest of their infantry followed behind. Other cavalry units among their ranks formed a flying wedge as well as they tried to match the pace of their Prince. Sword raised as Light illuminated him, Arthas let out a roar as he drew closer and closer to the ranks of the Frostborn. Gallix let out a roar of his own and signalled his own army's charge.

"Kill them all!"

Behind the Alliance lines, eight large onagers launched large pots of oil that was lit up with a torch and sent them sailing through the air before crashing behind or into the Frostborn ranks. Despite this, it didn't deter them from their charge as the armies drew closer.

"For the Alliance!"

"FOR THE ALLIANCE!!"

"For Lordaeron."

The Prince muttered before letting out a battle cry as his steed trampled right into the ranks of the Frostborn as the two armies clashed. The flying wedge proved effective in breaking into the Frostborn's ranks. When both forces clashed, there were no formations. No shield-walls or spear walls. It was just a bloody and chaotic battle.

A Knight beheaded a barbarian she passed by only for a thrown spear impale her right in the neck and throw her off her horse. A Footman blocked a sword with his own before slamming his helmeted head against his opponent then used his shield to push the barbarian down before burying his sword on the barbarian's neck. Another barbarian struck the back of the Footman's leg and forced him on one knee. The barbarian then pulled the Footman's helmet off and swung his axe down the soldier's exposed neck. He didn't have time to pull the weapon out when a Knight ran him through with his lance and dragged his body across the field.

A blood soaked Alicia, who was thrown off her horse as a spear struck it in the head, fought off two of her attackers while fighting back to back with Eve as the Princess Knight parried the strike on her left and thrust her sword into the barbarian on the right's chest before pulling her weapon free and blocking her other opponent's strike. The blonde blocked each strike the barbarian sent her way until she saw him tire out. Seeing her opportunity, she bashed her shoulder into the barbarian's chest and let out a yell as she brought her sword down on the man. The blade went down through his collar and all the way to his chest. The barbarian fell to his knees and looked up at Alicia before the Princess Knight wretched her weapon free and beheaded the man. Alicia barely had time to recover when a shrill scream came from her right and she was tackled by another barbarian. The woman yelled obscenities at Alicia as she tried to stab her with a knife made of bone.

"I'll carve out your fucking heart and eat it!"

"Screw you, you crazy bitch!"

The Princess Knight decked the barbarian across the face before reaching for the dagger on her belt. She took the small weapon from it's sheath before stabbing the barbarian in the eye. The woman screamed but Alicia silenced her once and for all by driving the dagger deep into the barbarian's skull. The woman fell limp on top of the Princess Knight before Alicia pushed the body off of her.

Breathing heavily, Alicia slowly got to her feet and looked around to see the bloody carnage surrounding her. Bodies from both sides were starting to pile up while the once white snow was now red from the blood of the dead. She saw a helmetless Footman scream as a barbarian bit off his ear before proceeding to stab him in the face with a knife. A fallen barbarian was crawling away to reach for a discarded sword on the ground but a boot stomped on her back before the owner of the limb pulled her by the hair then proceeded to slit the barbarian woman's throat. A Seven Shields Swordswoman killed off one barbarian before a spear was ran through her chest by a Frostborn. The barbarian lifted the body up and beat his chest as he roared before a Footman stabbed him in the abdomen. The Frostborn grunted in pain and retaliated by backhanding the Footman and pulling the sword off his gut before throwing it right back to it's owner. The Footman raised his shield just in time to block the sword and retrieve it before running towards the pale barbarian who ran towards the Footman only to be run over by Arthas and his steed. The Prince of Lordaeron barrelled through the Frostborn and barbarians, trampling those who were unfortunate enough to stand between him and the Barbarian King.

Gallix swung his axe wide and cut the Footmen surrounding him in half, adding more bodies to the corpses that surrounded him. With a roar, the Barbarian King raised his demonic sword before slamming it hard to the ground. Blue flames erupted from the blade and burned those who were within the Barbarian King's vicinity. Soldiers of the Alliance and barbarians who were caught in the flames screamed in agony as the flames burnt their skin. Pulling the demonic blade off the ground, Gallix turned around to face his adversary as he ran over his Frostborn. Growling at the sight of the Prince ashe drew closer, the Barbarian King raised his axe before throwing horizontally towards Arthas, cutting down any who stood in the way of the weapon. Be it friend or foe.

Arthas spurned his horse faster until he was a few feet away from Gallix before the Barbarian King's axe cut down his horse and threw the Prince forward into a pile of corpses. Quickly getting back to his feet, Arthas pushed past the barbarians swarming him. Elbowing the one on his left on the head to the point the barbarian was sent flying. He punched another in the gut before slamming his fists down on the Frostborn's head and sent him jaw first into the ground. Arthas didn't hear the crack that followed as he took Light's Wrath off the sheath on his back and leaped into the air, spinning while holding out his blade to cut down three barbarians that rushed him before bringing it down on Gallix who blocked the sword with ease. The two glared at each before the Barbarian King pushed Arthas back and the Prince quickly recovered before charging once more.

"Is that the best you can do, princeling?"

Arthas roared as he sent blow after blow at the Barbarian King with Light's Wrath but Gallix matched every blow with a block of his own before their blades locked once more.

"I told you. No more words from you, barbarian."

The Prince kicked Gallix back before thrusting his blade forward and running the Barbarian King through the gut. To his surprise, the Barbarian King didn't seem to mind it much. Simply showing annoyance at getting stabbed. Despite the sword going halfway through, Gallix simply sneered and punched the shocked Arthas across the face before kicking him with a surprising amount of strength. The Prince fell on his back with a groan before getting up to his feet and looked towards Gallix to see the Barbarian King slowly approach. Light's Wrath still buried halfway through his abdomen.

"Pathetic weakling."

Gallix raised his demonic sword and brought it down, sending a wave of blue flames that slammed right into the Prince. Had he not cast Divine Shield on himself at the last second, the blue flames would've caused a significant amount of damage to Arthas but thanks to the spell, it only managed to blast him back. But one thing bothered him. It shouldn't have hurt when the attack hit him but for some reason it did. Every time he had Divine Shield up, the blows from his opponents simply bounced off of him. This one, however, hurt. And it hurt a lot.

Arthas sailed through the air and dropped to the ground in a roll before stopping on his front. The Prince held his abdomen as he tried to get up but he could hear the Barbarian King's footsteps as Gallix's shadow loomed over him. Arthas glared up defiantly at the Barbarian King who raised his demonic sword to deliver the killing blow.

"RRAAGHH!"

Gallix turned around just in time to jump back to avoid Alicia's blade from driving down his back. The Barbarian King laughed as he looked down at the Princess Knight who still gripping her sword that was buried in the snow while on one knee.

"Is that all?"

"Nope."

The Barbarian King raised an eyebrow at the smirk Alicia gave him before the blonde's eyes glowed bright. The clouds parted and a ray of light shined down on the two before a gigantic sword made of Light fell from the heavens and struck the Barbarian King down. The impact had forced the Barbarian King on his back and left glowing cracks through the snowy ground which dimmed as Alicia let out an exhausted breath before rising to her feet and removing her blade ftom the ground. The Princess Knight made her way over to Arthas and walked past the unmoving form of the Barbarian King. She opened her mouth to speak only to stop as she felt a tremendous amount of pain on her back and her chest. A pair of purpled orbs looked down to see the bloody tip of the demonic blade protruding from her chest. Penetrating past armor and chainmail. Alicia looked away from the blade into the shocked eyes of Arthas.

"A-Arthas... "

Gallix, who was now sitting up after he had thrust the demonic blade into the Princess Knight's back, slowly stood up without removing the blade from the Knight before grabbing her by the head then roughly pulled the sword free from her body. The Barbarian King lifted Alicia off the ground and gave Arthas a manic grin.

"I'm not that easy to kill, boy. Unlike this pathetic little whore."

The Barbarian King carelessly threw the body to the side and it rolled to a stop a few feet away. Arthas' eyes never left Alicia's form as it stared blankly into the sky, not seeing the Barbarian King raise his demonic blade as it glowed brightly. The cold winds around them blew harsher than before but the Prince didn't notice. Still staring at the motionless Princess Knight.

~Line Break~

Captain Falric breathed heavily as he stood atop the pile of bodies. His armor was covered with blood as were his shield and sword. His tattered cape flowing harshly behind him as the blizzard worsened. The Captain looked to his left and saw a Frostborn running towards him, unfeeling to the raging storm. Falric raised his shield and blocked an upward swing of the Frostborn's glowing axe but the blow was so strong that it threw Falric off the pile and into the corpse filled ground. The Captain groaned and looked up to see the Frostborn jump into the air with it's axe raised, intent on bringing it down on Falric for the killing blow but the Captain raised his shield to block the attack. The glowing axe met the shield and penetrated the Steel Forged shield, cutting into Falric's bracers and into his forearm.

"Rraagh!"

The Captain screamed in pain before glaring up at the Frostborn and swung his sword above the barbarian's knee. His blade cut through meat and bone and the Frostborn fell with a scream of pain, dropping his weapon as well. Falric rose to his feet and dropped his shield before flipping his sword into a reverse grip and slamming it down into the Frostborn's head. He wrenched the blade free before looking at the damage in his left arm, grimacing as it hurt every time he tried to move it.

"Damn it."

"Captain Falric!"

Falric turned to the speaker to see Knight Eve running towards him, covered nearly head to toe with blood. He imagined he didn't fair any better.

"Who's winning?"

"I don't know." Eve answered as she shook her head "There are so many bodies piling up that it's making it hard to fight. The Archers and Crossbowwomen just joined the fight. They left some behind to guard the onagers but the rest charged in to battle. Their commander said they might as well be taking shits back there."

The two looked around them as the battlefield changed from a snow covered ground to one covered with corpses. Falric spotted one Footman was kneeling on the ground. His entire form frozen as snow began to cover him up. The number of warriors fighting from both sides were diminishing as more joined the corpses on the ground.

"If the barbarians haven't killed us yet then the cold will."

The purple haired Knight stated as she noticed the frozen bodies of the Footmen and Swordswomen.

"Have you seen Prince Arthas and Lady Alicia?"

"Not Lady Alicia." Falric shook his head "But the Prince? I saw him charging towards Gallix. He ran over any rabid bastard that stood in his way last I saw."

"What about Brünnhilde?"

Before he could answer, the two heard a blood curdling scream and turned to see a barbarian screaming as he desperately tried to keep his innards from falling. He was silenced when Brünnhilde severed his head with one swing from her long axe. The Stormwolf Chieftain quickly turned around and caught another barbarian that was charging at her by the throat. Brünnhilde easily lifted the shorter woman off the ground before slamming her hard on the ground. She raised her leg then crushed the barbarian's skull with her boot. A Frostborn saw the The Stormwolf Chieftain with her back turned and charged. He slashed Brünnhilde's back and the Stormwolf Chieftain grunted before glaring at the pale barbarian. Grabbing one of her throwing axes from her belt, she threw the weapon and it slammed into the Frostborn's chest. She didn't give him the time to recover and swung her long axe upwards, hitting the Frostborn right in the groin. The pale barbarian screamed in agony before Brünnhilde wrapped one arm around his head and snapped his neck. The Stormwolf Chieftain pulled her weapon off the corpse then beat her chest while raising her long axe in the air before letting out a guttural war cry.

"There's your answer." Falric deadpanned.

Eve hummed before feeling herself shiver as the blizzard grew stronger. What is going on with this weather? The Knight didn't have time to ponder as she jumped back to avoid getting her head crushed by a massive club from a tall Frostborn. Eve regained her footing before charging the Frostborn with a battle cry.

~Line Break~

Alicia didn't know where she was. All she could 'see' was darkness. The last thing she remembered was a tremendous pain on her chest and the last thing she said was Arthas' name as her vision slowly narrowed. She didn't know what followed after because by then, everything went black. Hell, even now she could still feel the pain in her chest. Alicia was shaken from her thoughts by a voice.

"You're time is not done yet, Arcturus."

"Who's there!?"

"You need not to worry, child." The voice replied "For I come to you with a gift."

Before she could say anything else, Alicia was engulfed by a bright light. The Princess Knight felt something inside her. She couldn't describe it.

"Arise, champion. Smite the wicked. Protect the weak. Bring justice upon this cruel world. For you are the Champion of Rena Iusticia. Lady of Justice!"

~Line Break~

Arthas charge his opponent with a roar only for him to be blown back by a torrent of blue flames. The Prince rolled to a stop before trying to get back up only for his opponent to stomp on his back and force him back to the ground.

"Did you really think you can defeat me? Gallix, the Barbarian King!"

No matter how many wounds he had inflicted upon the Barbarian King, Gallix proved to be very durable. Fighting with the same ferocity from the beginning. Gallix raised his leg before stomping it back down on Arthas' back, eliciting a pain-filled scream from the Prince. Arthas tried to reach for his sword, Light's Wrath, but Gallix removed his foot from the Prince's back only to crush Arthas' hand as he reached for the weapon. The Prince screaming once more.

"You may have beaten my army, my sons and daughters but you are nothing more but a weak ant when you and your pathetic pet foolishly faced me alone. Leaving your men to the mercy of the cold." Gallix knelt down and grabbed Arthas by the hair before forcing the Prince to look at him. Arthas could only glare defiantly at the larger man "And what did you achieve in doing so, hm? Nothing but the little one's death. If she were stronger, I would've made her bear the next generation of my children and feed your flesh to make them strong."

Gallix shoved Arthas' head into the snow and rose to his feet. The Barbarian King raised his demonic sword, prepared to end the Prince's life.

"But I can't wait for another strong woman to bear me sons. Besides, I never liked sharing my meal."

The Barbarian King laughed as he moved to bring the sword down on the Prince's back but was stopped as a wave of light slammed into his abdomen and sent him flying off of the Prince. Arthas rolled to his side and looked to his savior and couldn't help but gape at the sight.

Standing tall, wearing a new set of armor and holding a Greatsword with the blade's edge glowing an ethereal light, was a very much alive Alicia. She wore a silver cuirass and a set of large pauldrons that reflected the golden glow of the light. Over the cuirass was a blue stole with the ends reaching just above her knee and a matching set of long blue capes that were attached to the large belt around her waist with a shield for a buckle. Underneath the cuirass was a blue gambeson. She wore a pair of brown, fingerless gloves along with a set of bracers that matched the rest of her armor.

The Princess Knight's eyes glowed like the sun while a translucent angel that wore the same armor Alicia wore appeared behind the Princess Knight. It was then Arthas noticed that the blizzard had stopped and the sky cleared. The sounds of battle were silenced in his ear despite still going on in the background.

"Alicia?"

The Princess Knight turned her head to Arthas and made her way towards him. The Prince got to his feet and looked down at the young woman he saw die in front of him. Alicia, meanwhile, was looking down at Arthas' crushed hand and gently placed her own over it. The Prince winced and closed his eyes as a blinding light engulfed his broken hand. When the younger blonde let go, Arthas lifted his hand in front of his face and gave it a few experimental squeeze after looking it over. The Prince looked down on her once more before wrapping her in a big hug.

"I thought you were dead."

"I was but it wasn't my time yet." Alicia pulled away and looked up at Arthas with a grin. Her eyes turned back to the purple ones he was familiar with "Besides, I'm gonna pay that bastard for literally stabbing me in the back."

"Well. Since you're so eager."

Arthas turned around and picked up Light's Wrath from the ground before pointing it at the Barbarian King.

"I'll let you deal the first blow."

The Princess Knight's grin grew bigger and turned more vicious as she planted her Greatsword on the ground before cracking her knuckles.

"Don't mind if I do."

~Line Break~

Alicia gripped the handle of her Greatsword, Lucis, and pulled it off the ground as she set her sights on the recovering Barbarian King. Gallix glared back as he hefted Bláidjöfullinn.

"You're tougher than I thought but a bigger blade won't save you from my hand. Nothing can kill me. Not even a sword from the heavens can kill me. But you? You are soft, fragile and weak! What chance do you have!?"

"Ooh. I didn't know a savage like you understood, let alone even know, a single word you just said. Bravo to you." Alicia joked before charging towards the Barbarian King.

Once she was close enough, Alicia began spinning on her heel and struck the demonic blade as Gallix brought it down. The sword bounced off and the tip of Lucis managed to hit the Barbarian King across the chest and leaving a bleeding gash, adding another wound to the other number of wounds Arthas gave him before. Gallix barely had time to raise his weapon and block the Prince's own sword when said Prince had leapt over Alicia and swung downwards with the intent of splitting the Barbarian King's head in the middle.

Gallix pushed Arthas off but Alicia was quick to engage the Barbarian King once more. She might move slower due to the weight of the weapon but her attacks had more power and imbued with something 'Holy'. Rena said it would greatly help in battling Bláidjöfullinn. The Princess Knight brought the Greatsword down and Gallix blocked it. A bright spark flashed as the two blades made contact.

In Gallix's thoughts, something felt wrong. Like he's not a strong as he's supposed to be. Especially whenever this bitch got too close. Specifically, the weapon. Like it was negating the strength and power that Bláidjöfullinn gave to whoever wields it.

Suddenly, half of Light's Wrath protruded from Gallix's chest, dripping with blood.

'That's... not possible.'

The Barbarian King looked over his shoulder to glare back at the Prince of Lordaeron before pushing Alicia back and decked her across the face then swung wide. Bláidjöfullinn glowed blue and cut across Arthas' armor while the blow threw the Prince back. Gallix then screamed as he felt the Greatsword bury itself between his neck and shoulder.

When he turned away from the Princess Knight to deal with Arthas, Alicia had recovered from the punch and leaped into the air, the glowing Greatsword raised high before bringing it down on the Barbarian King. The Princess Knight sneered at the Barbarian King before pulling the blade free and kicked the back of Gallix's leg hard, forcing him on one knee.

Then a recovered Arthas ran towards the Barbarian King and leaped into the air, fist reared back before delivering a strong punch across the Barbarian King's cheek. The force of the blow was enough to throw Gallix into the ground on his side. The Prince then pulled Light's Wrath out of the Barbarian King's chest before placing his foot on Gallix's abdomen to keep him from getting up while Alicia raised her weapon high and brought it down on the Barbarian King's wrist, severing the hand holding the Bláidjöfullinn from the rest of his body.

"RRAAGHH!"

"Not so tough without your demon sword, huh?"

Alicia kicked the sword away before grinning smugly down at the Barbarian King.

"You won't be so smug when I shove my cock in your fucking mouth."

"Coming from a guy who's old enough to be my ancestor. Ew." Alicia gagged and shivered at the thought before raising Lucis above her head "But you won't have to worry about that anymore, buddy."

Wordlessly, Arthas kicked the Barbarian King to his front before forcing him to his knees.

"Any last words?"

Gallix looked up at the Princess Knight and glared before spitting blood at her boot.

"Fuck you!"

"No you won't."

With a yell, Alicia brought Lucis down and freed Gallix's head from his shoulders. The head rolled to the ground and Arthas picked it up. Captain Falric, Knight Eve and Brünnhilde soon joined them and the Prince showed the newcomers the head.

The Stormwolf Chieftain was looking at the severed head in awe. These foreigners did it. They actually killed this monster. Brünnhilde looked at the large axe in her hand, the one wielded by Gallix before he threw it at Arthas.

'Guess this is mine now.'

It was definitely not going to any of his sons or daughters that's for sure. If there are any left that is. She had heard that Arthas made a specific order that not a single one of the Frostborn will be spared. There will be no one to take the Barbarian King's place and bring another horrible rule on the country of Kühlschrank. The Stormwolf Clan, however, are friends of the Alliance. Along with the other clans that decided to conceed to Alliance rule.

Captain Falric let out a sigh of relief once his eyes landed on the head. It was over. Kühlschrank was theirs. Soon, the Alliance would send someone else to deal with this shit. The Prince and his company would return to Feoh and the Capital and he had no doubt that Lady Proudmoore and Lady Prim would give them a very royal welcome.

"It's over." Arthas muttered before dropping the head unceremoniously on the ground.

"We can all go home."

"But what about Kühlschrank?" Alicia asked as her glow dimmed and the angel behind her vanished.

"We'll convene on this when we get out of this frozen wasteland."

The Prince ran a hand through his hair and sighed. They can finally get off this frozen rock and go home. Back to Feoh. Back to the Capital. Back to Jaina.

"What about this thing?"

Arthas looked to Alicia and saw the younger blonde poking the severed hand of Gallix, which was still gripping the demonic sword, with her toe. The Prince looked down at the blade and found himself feeling uncomfortable. There was something about picking up glowing swords that didn't sit well with him. Especially ones that glowed blue and had a skull for a guard. He had the same feeling about vampires. With their bat-like wings, sharp fangs, corpse-like complexion and long claws. It also didn't help that they raise the dead and turn them into mindless, cannibalistic slaves. Turn them into something 'unholy'.

In the end, the demonic sword was destroyed by Alicia. But none of them expected to be blown away by the massive explosion that followed after. None of them were hurt but all that was left of the Barbarian King's corpse was a set of bones and a skull which was oddly frozen over. The five made their way down to the battlefield and saw the corpses that piled into small hills. Disturbing really. Seeing a mix of corpses piled up to form a hill. One would be wondering if their friend is among them. They have won but at what cost?

The purple haired Knight was looking down at the face of her late comrade, Vera, a green haired Knight. Her head was the only thing that was sticking out from underneath the corpse pile and Eve knew that shade of green anywhere.

"Goddess light your path. Be at peace, my friend."

Alicia watched this from Arthas' side as the two made their way past the bodies and shook her head. She knew that everyone will die eventually. Warriors like them faster than the average person. But it still hurt to see one of her Knights die. They weren't just fellow Knights. They were her friends too. And seeing them dead, she felt a little piece of her die as well. They'll never experience anything anymore. They'll never smile, laugh or cry again. They're just gone. Arthas might've brought them back but resurrecting the dead while fighting wasn't really ideal for the Prince. He'd be too exhausted to fight anymore. Besides, he was more of a fighter than a healer anyway and it's been too long for the dead to be brought back.

"How many casualties?"

The Princess Knight was shaken from her thoughts and turned her head to see Arthas talking to Captain Falric and the other Captains or Sergeants.

"We don't know yet, my Lord." Falric replied "We're still looking for wounded or anyone who can be saved. Physicians and what Priests we have are doing all they can, Prince Arthas. Unfortunately, many are too far gone to bring back."

Arthas stared at the piles and piles of corpses on the battlefield. He knew that the majority of their losses were by the Frostborn's doing. The demonic sword did something to them. Gallix did something to them. Made them inhuman. More powerful, durable, manic and also unbothered by the blizzard. Death came for them in the end and for every Alliance soldier slain was paid back ten fold. But the Prince still couldn't bring back the ones who have been dead for too long. Perhaps if he had more power, then maybe he could've saved them. Arthas shook his head. No point dwelling on 'what ifs'.

Wordlessly, Arthas began helping by picking up the bodies of his men and gently laying them on a row, praying for the Light to guide their souls. The bodies of the Frostborn and barbarians, however, were unceremoniously dumped someplace and burnt. Burnt to ashes and forgotten. Alicia followed the Prince's example and began helping. Even Brünnhilde joined in while sending prayers to her Gods in her native tongue as she laid down a dead Footman next to a dead Swordswoman and Knight.

Victory. They have victory albeit a costly one. They should've been used to it by now but it still hurt in some ways. They will honor the dead but carrying the bodies back was problematic. Especially if they were to be buried in the Capital. If they wished to do so, then they have to preserve each bodies before bringing them back to Feoh but considering the number of their dead... They'll have to bury them here in Kühlschrank.

"Once the bodies are retrieved, we make for Fort Lightbringer."

"It will take us a week and a half to reach your fort, Prince." Brünnhilde stated "You can stay in the Wolf's Den for now. It is much closer."

"You have our thanks, Chieftain."

~Line Break~

When they returned to their camp, the Alliance decided to bury their dead there instead. It took them nearly the whole day before they were done and by then everyone was exhausted. Out of the seven thousand force they had mustered, three thousand remained. Four thousand brave men and women died to bring an end to this campaign once and for all. So much death but at least they can go home. But for tonight, they rest.

Two days later, the Alliance marched to the Wolf's Den. The massive grave they left would be plotted to the map of Kühlschrank. The burial ground of thousands. They didn't even gave the location a name but they will always remember where they laid the bodies of their comrades to rest. Give them a map and they'll point it out easily if you ask. Besides, no one would miss the massive amount of gravestones sticking out from the ground.

When they finally arrived at Wolf's Den, the first thing that Brünnhilde did was hold a feast to honor the dead. The Great Hall was abuzz with activity. Everyone was either drinking or conversing amongst themselves, trying to lift up their spirits. Wasn't that the point of having the feast in the first place?

Meanwhile, Arthas wasn't inside the Great Hall. The Prince of Lordaeron stood just outside of the building and was looking out into the horizon. He still wore his armor as well as a cloak lined with fur to keep him warm from the cold. In his mind, he wondered if this country would be at peace without the Frostborn in the picture. He was thinking of giving Brünnhilde the position of Governor of Kühlschrank. She can keep the place in line and safe. Of that, he was certain. Then there were also the garrisons and forts around the country. They'll have to start recruiting but will anyone from Kühlschrank even want to join them? Only time will tell.

"Arthas."

The Prince looked over his shoulder to see Alicia holding two mugs of ale as she exited the Great Hall. She walked over to the Prince and stood next to him as she handed Arthas the other mug.

"You look like you could use a drink."

"Thank you."

Arthas took the offered drink but kept his eyes on the young girl before him. He had lost her. He had failed to protect her. In his mind, he has led her to her death. Light, he watched the life leave her eyes as she bled to death. Powerless and overcome with rage, he had attacked Gallix with no reservation nor concern for his own well-being. He had managed to do some damage but even then it wasn't enough. He wasn't strong enough. But Alicia came back to life, stronger than before and empowered by a power he knew not. Frankly, he didn't care. All he cared about was that the girl before him died and had come back to life. He had dreaded to think of what he would say to Jaina. To Prim.

The blonde Prince shook his head and drank the mug of ale in his hand. It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that Alicia's alive and well and they can go home. Leave this frozen wasteland and return to somewhere warmer and with less cannibals and whatnot.

~Line Break~

The Capital, Feoh

"Well this is certainly a change of pace from Port Haven. It doesn't smell like a fishwife or the fish she sells."

"Port Haven didn't smell that bad. Just the docks and the market."

"Of course you don't smell it. You're always in the bake- "

Marion winced. Right. The bakery, which was also their house, was destroyed by the fire. She looked up at Aedan and inwardly sighed in relief when the Grey Warden smiled at her.

"Don't worry about it, Marion. It's just a building. Besides, who says I can't open up a bakery here?"

"Does that mean you'll make more cookies?"

Aedan looked away from the raven-haired Mage and looked up to meet the eyes of one Eleanor Belmont who was riding on Aedan's shoulders. When things settled down on Port Haven, Aedan scoured the port city for any sign of the girl's relatives. He did find them but unfortunately, they were already placed by the church where all the victims of the attack were placed. Seeing that no one else would take care of the young girl, Aedan decided to take in young Eleanor as his own. But unfortunately, their house was destroyed during the attack.

After Lady Proudmoore and Lady Prim saw the state of their house in Port Haven, Prim convinced them to move to the Capital where they can raise Eleanor in a house that wasn't burnt down. While Aedan was all too happy to accept, Marion had a sneaking suspicion that the other reason why the pinkette wanted the Grey Warden here was so she had a supply of Aedan's cookies close by. Smart girl.

"For you, pup? Certainly."

Marion couldn't help but chuckle as the girl cheered. She swore she would kill anyone who would try to harm the little lady. They will die in a slow, burning and painful way.

"What about you, Marion?" The Mage was snapped out from her thoughts by the Warden "Any luck finding us a house? As much as I appreciate Lady Prim's hospitality, I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Actually, I talked to Lady Pinky about that and she was nice enough to give us a house close to the castle. She insisted that we open up the bakery there and even gave a large donation to help us with the bakery."

"Oh. How thoughtful of her. Perhaps I can thank her if she ever comes by the bakery."

"Oh I've no doubt she will." Marion muttered. Honestly, the pinkette was addicted to Aedan's baking. From cookies to cake even a simple bread, Prim couldn't get enough of it.

"I just remembered. What did Lady Jaina asked of you?"

"Oh that. She offered me a job as a teacher at the Magi Academy. Turned her down, of course. I'm pretty sure I'll just blow the classroom up. At least she didn't sic Templars at me or people of that sort when I refused. She's actually really nice."

"So what will you do?" Aedan asked. Ignoring the way Eleanor was using his hair as reigns "I know you get bored easily. You can't stand not doing something."

"I can always do you."

Marion smirked as the Grey Warden's face reddened. Oh, he was just too easy.

"Not... what I had in mind." Aedan looked away.

"It definitely was."

"Can we not talk about this in front of Eleanor, please?"

Said girl was too distracted with looking at the pretty blue butterfly that landed on her nose.

"Oh boo." Marion let out a mock pout "You're no fun."

Aedan shook his head before settling on a stone bench. He set Eleanor down and ruffled the child's head before watching her chase after the butterfly but not before reminding her not to stray too far from them. Marion watched the child go with a small smile before taking a seat next to the Grey Warden.

"Anyone else looks at her, they wouldn't even know the girl lost her family." Marion began.

"She's blocking it out." Aedan replied "I asked her about Port Haven but she wouldn't acknowledge any of it. All she sees is that I'm the only family she has. WE are the only family she has. I fear for her mind, Marion. I really do. Someday, she will have to face the harsh truth and I'm afraid of what will happen."

Marion remained silent as she too looked to the child with concern. She hoped it wouldn't come to that but it was inevitable and so she hoped that it would come when Eleanor was at least older.

~Line Break~

Jaina sighed as she read the report before setting it down and rubbing her eyes. The letter contained a report of the situation in Ur and the Skaven. So far, the Ratmen were contained and they blocked out any way for the Skaven to escape the city but that doesn't mean they were off the hook. The Skaven were always trying to escape the city either through brute force or cunning. Rat Ogres were tough but they can be killed but there were other Skaven that use the cover of night and attempt to scale the walls. Nightly patrols were always on guard for any escape attempt and quickly stopped before any rats reach the top of the wall.

There was also the matter of the Skaven's numbers. No matter how many they kill, the Skaven can quickly replenish their numbers. It was expected, of course, considering they're rats. Any attempts at retaking the city was met with casualties and with little to no ground taken. The only places they can hold were the areas close to the gates of the city and even then, they were hard pressed in keeping it in Alliance hands.

The blonde mage looked to her right at the second letter. It was a request by Valerius to send a battalion of Siege Tanks to take back the city. The only problem was that they didn't have enough Siege Tanks to do that but perhaps they can use what they do have to bolster the perimeter defenses on the city's gates. She'll have to bring it up with Valerius and the Engineers first though.

She was shaken from her thoughts by a knock on the the door.

"My Lady. A letter from Prince Arthas."

Jaina rose from her seat and made her way over before opening the door. The castle servant bowed his head before holding out the rolled up parchment for her to take. The blonde mage did so before dismissing the young lad and closed the door before unfurling the scroll. Jaina walked back to her chair and read the contents before sighing in relief as she finished.

Arthas and his forces are going home and Kühlschrank, at least the majority of it, was now part of the Alliance. Though she was saddened by the number of casualties they received in the final battle against the Barbarian King, she was also glad to hear that they were safe. With Arthas's return, she can finally hand the city affairs back to him and she can focus back on the Magi Academy and her students. Of course she still had to oversee the welcome they would receive once they return to Feoh. No doubt Prim would've done so herself even if she didn't. But all that matters is that they're back safe and sound.

~Roughly A Month Later~

Arthas could hear the roar of the people of Feoh as he and the army neared the Capital's gates. On his right was Alicia, still clad in her new armor, and on his left was Falric who had his helmet off. The trio were on horseback and marching behind them on a steady pace was the column of Alliance soldiers. Though many remained in Kühlschrank as it is their duty to hold the forts and garrisons of the Alliance until they were rotated out and return to Eostia.

The gates of the city opened and the crowd seemed to cheer louder at the sight of them. All around them, the people were cheering and waving.

"The city's... bigger than I remember."

Arthas found himself nodding in agreement to the Captain's comment. He remembered seeing fewer buildings in this area of the Capital but a lot can change in a year and by the looks of it, Jaina had been busy.

"It's so... different." Alicia began "It changed after you guys showed up and started rebuilding this place but you can still see a lot of the city of Feoh in it but now? I barely recognize any of this. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing though."

The Prince hummed as they continued on their way to Castle Feoh. Maybe he'll see what's changed in the city tomorrow. See what's new around. But that's after he makes up for lost time with Jaina and Prim, of course.

It wasn't long until they reached the gates of Castle Feoh. Arthas held out his hand and let a small, pink petal land on his palm before looking up at the wall surrounding Castle Feoh then at the roofs of the buildings close to the castle and smiled as the people, even a few soldiers, dropped petals down on them. Some even threw flowers at Alicia and Falric.

The large doors opened and standing there to greet them were Jaina and Prim. Arthas smiled and climbed down his mount before making his way over to them. Followed closely by Alicia. The Prince stood in front of Jaina and moved a strand of hair away from her smiling face.

"Welcome back, Arthas."

"Glad to be back."

Without another word, the Prince enveloped the mage before him in a loving embrace as he while Alicia was nearly tackled to the ground by her pink-haired cousin.

"Welcome home, Alicia."

"It's so good to see you again, Prim."

From atop his mount, Falric watched them with a small smile on his face before his eyes roamed around in search of a certain Ranger-General but alas, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Falric!"

The Captain looked to the voice to see his fellow Footman, Valerius, strode over to him with a big grin. Falric climbed down his horse and the two firmly shook forearms.

"Good to have you back, my friend."

"I'm just glad to be alive after all that. Too many close calls."

"And not enough pay."

The two men let out hearty laughs before Falric spotted Sylvanas leaning on the Keep's doors where it was crowded by soldiers and castle servants who wanted to see and greet the Prince. Valerius saw where his friend was looking at and smirked.

"You might as well seize the day, my friend. Tomorrow? We'll be back on the job. Enjoy your vacation while at lasts, Falric. As always, I'll be where the ale is. Good luck."

And with that, Valerius left Falric alone as the Captain made his way over to the Ranger-General. Squeezing past the bodies before finally reaching the keep and Sylvanas who looked at Falric with an amused look.

"Miss me?"

Sylvanas scoffed and rolled her eyes in reply to which Falric chuckled in return.

"I'll take that as a maybe."

Back to Arthas, the Prince slightly loosened his grip around Jaina before touching his forehead against hers.

"I missed this." Arthas muttered "I missed you."

"You have a lot to make up for, Arthas. I'll be waiting." Jaina winked.

The blonde mage left his embrace and Arthas watched her leave for the keep. Noting the extra sway on her hips as she walked away. The Prince smirked before shaking his head and turned to the side to pull Prim into a hug. It really is good to be back.


End file.
